You, My Queen
by SeaWraith46
Summary: A threat is made against Arendelle and a mysterious woman washes up on the kingdom's shores, setting in motion a chain of events that will lead Elsa on a path to discovery, love, and betrayal. - Set post-Frozen; Femslash Elsa, OC; some Kristanna
1. Chapter 1 - A Threat Made

**A/N: Hello readers! **

**This is my first fic, so any follows, favs, and reviews would be much appreciated.**

**Personally, I feel that Elsa's story makes more sense if she's read as queer, so this fic will explore a romantic relationship between her and a female OC, as well as other themes from the movie. I wanted to write this fic because I've had a hard time finding stories with Elsa and a female partner (if you know of any good ones, please let me know in a review if you feel so inclined to leave one!). This fic will not contain Elsanna (not because I have anything against that ship-I'm actually a fan-it's just not what I want to cover in this story).**

**Obviously, I do not own any of Frozen's characters, just my OCs.**

* * *

Sera yelped as she was thrown from her hammock and crashed to the wooden planks of the ship's hold. She groaned, forcing her sleep-muddled brain to take in her surroundings from where she lay spread-eagled on the floor.

The hold of the ship was dark, save for a few lanterns that hung from the ceiling, which swung wildly as the ship was struck by another wave. A thin staircase led to the trapdoor that opened onto the deck, its steps glistening from the seawater that slopped through the cracks of the opening. Muffled shouts, barely audible over the booming thunder and roaring waves, came from the deck above as the sailors fought against the storm.

Movement caused her to glance back at her hammock, which was flailing about wildly with the ship's pitching and rolling. Sera sighed as she realized sleeping through this storm was not going to be possible. She had enough trouble with hammocks when the sea was calm and there was no way she was going to be able to get into the damn thing during a storm, much less stay in it long enough to sleep.

Rising unsteadily to her feet, Sera staggered over to the barrels that were stored against the side of the hold. She gripped the ropes that held the cargo in place, looping her arms through them as she lowered herself to a sitting position, settling in to ride out the storm.

Sera glanced down as the ropes in her hands creaked loudly, their straining fibers twisting painfully against her skin. Her still sleep-clouded brain registered panic just as another wave pitched the ship into an almost horizontal angle.

The ropes groaned as the barrels were thrown against them, finally giving way with a crack and sending Sera skidding across the floor of the hold. Sera used her arms to shield her head as best she could as the barrels rolled and bounced over her. One of the barrels thudded to a halt against her crossed arms, sending jarring pains through her upper body. Gasping, Sera raised her head from her numbed arms, only to be struck a glancing blow to the temple by another piece of cargo.

Head reeling, Sera rolled to her left, desperate to get out of the path of the barrels. Her shoulder came into contact with the staircase of the trap door and she forced her numb hands to grasp one of the wide steps. Panting, she heaved herself onto the staircase and began to crawl toward the trapdoor, wincing as the wet steps and movement of the ship caused her to slip and jostle her injured arms against the wood.

At the top of the staircase, Sera scrabbled ineffectively at the hatchway for a few seconds before pausing. She waited for a wave to tilt the ship in the right direction and threw her shoulder at the bulky trapdoor, finally opening it to the full chaos of the storm.

Rain and sea water splattered Sera's face as she stepped onto the deck in a half crouch, squinting at the sailors rushing about the ship. One of them caught sight of her and waved frantically, signaling that she should stay down below. Sera shook her head, trying to mime that staying below decks meant being crushed to death by loose cargo. The sailor made his way towards her, slipping and sliding, and took hold of her arm. He opened his mouth to repeat the order for her to return to the cargo hold but was cut off as a gigantic wave swept across the deck.

The force of the wave tore Sera from the sailor's grasp and slammed her into the ship's railing, the ribs of her left side taking most of the impact. With the air smashed from her lungs, her ribs screaming in protest with each wheezing breath she took, Sera looked up in time to see another wave rushing toward her.

The wave sent her spinning over the edge of the railing and into the roiling ocean. Completely disorientated, Sera thrashed beneath the water, hoping that somehow she would be able to figure out which direction led to the surface. After a minute of hopeless flailing, black spots began to bloom across her vision. Her lungs strained for air and her arms grew heavy, too heavy to continue swimming. Panic turned to calm resignation as she realized she was going to die. Closing her eyes, Sera ceased to struggle and relaxed her limbs, waiting for death to take her.

Suddenly, the current pushed her toward the surface, smashing her against something floating above her. Twisting her body and grasping wildly at the object, Sera heaved herself onto a small, square-shaped piece of wood, most likely the cover of a crate that had also been washed from the deck of the ship.

Coughing and spluttering, Sera dug her fingernails into the wood as another wave threatened to separate her from the wooden planks. Pain rippled through her body, her arms throbbing from clinging to the wood and her ribs aching from her coughs, as a series of waves tried to wrench her from her small, make-shift raft.

Hours later Sera still held onto her crate cover, her fingers and hands so stiff that she was unable to relax her grip on the wood even though the storm had long-ago subsided. She laid her head on her left arm, trying to take shallow breaths that wouldn't irritate her sore ribs, and shivered, staring at the empty horizon.

After a moment, Sera's eyes widened and her head shot up to look around frantically in every direction. A small smile spread across her lips as she realized that the ship she had been thrown from was nowhere to be seen.

Resting her forehead on the planks of the crate cover, Sera closed her eyes as her muscles shuddered and her breathing became even shallower. She had only one thought as the blackness of exhaustion crept through her mind and body, a thought that kept the smile on her face long after she lost consciousness:

_I'm free._

* * *

Elsa stifled a small yawn as she left her room, closing the door quietly behind her. She crept down the hallway and paused to press her ear against the door of Anna's room, smiling as her sister's soft snores filtered through the wood.

It had been two months since Elsa's powers had been revealed, two months since she had almost doomed Anna and all of Arendelle, and the queen still had a hard time believing that it was all real. The openness about her powers and her re-kindled relationship with her estranged sister seemed too good to be true. Every morning for the past two months, she had stopped outside Anna's door to remind herself that it was not just a dream, that after this vision faded she would not wake up to her kingdom still buried in snow and Anna dead by her hand.

Elsa listened to Anna's breathing for a few more seconds before stepping away from her sister's bedroom door. She glanced down at the carpet, choking back a laugh as she caught sight of the flour covering the floor outside of Anna's room.

Yesterday Elsa had been in the middle of an almost unbearably boring meeting with the castle decorator, trying to plan for an upcoming ball, when Anna had burst into the study and demanded her sister come to the kitchen to bake cookies with her. The princess's arms, chest, and face had been covered in flour, which she had promptly spread over everything in the study while she bounced around the room. The look of horror on the decorator's face as his clothes and fabric samples were coated with white powder had threatened to break even Elsa's practiced queenly demeanor. After the decorator had stormed off the sisters had doubled over with laughter, gasping and choking on the dust from the flour. Gerda had found them a few minutes later and ushered Anna up to her room to change, leaving a trail of white powder from the study to the princess's bedroom. Apparently they had missed a few spots in their efforts to clean up after yesterday's antics.

Elsa smiled and shook her head, carefully stepping around several other floury spots dotting the hallway. Anna was always a welcome interruption to her royal duties but her disruptions weren't always as conveniently timed as yesterday's had been. Dawn was still an hour away and Anna would not rise for at least another five, possibly six, hours but the queen had work that needed to be done before her sister would burst into her study, begging Elsa to read to her or to make the garden into an ice rink.

Elsa decided she would head to the kitchens in a few minutes to grab a light breakfast before starting her work, but for now she was content to walk silently through the castle's corridors, allowing her mind to wander from her royal duties.

The queen let her feet follow the familiar paths through the castle, her thoughts wonderfully blank. It amazed her how nice it felt to just let her mind be still, to not have it filled with her old fears or thoughts of her new responsibilities. She started down the hallway to the throne room, chuckling softly at the crooked suits of armor that stood between the windows, evidence that Anna had recently spent time here.

At the doors to the throne room, Elsa hesitated, a small line of worry appearing between her eyebrows. One of the doors stood ajar, an odd occurrence since the room was only used on formal occasions. There had not been any such event since her coronation and Kai and Gerda should have left this room securely shut.

Elsa stepped to the door, swinging it open wider to admit the delicate pre-dawn light that suffused the hallway into the windowless room. She squinted into the darkness for few seconds but could detect nothing amiss. The queen pushed the door open further and the soft light fell across the throne, illuminating a sheet of paper attached to its backrest.

The queen frowned, moving swiftly to retrieve the note. The paper had been fastened to the back of the throne by a crossbow bolt and it took a moment for her to wrench it from the wood. She seized the paper and returned to the hallway, standing near a window to use the faint light coming over the horizon to read the document.

Frost crept around the edges of the paper and the queen clutched it to her chest, looking around the hallway to ensure that no one had seen her. She strode hurriedly through the castle, her heart beating wildly in her chest, praying she would not be intercepted by any early-rising servants.

Mind whirling, Elsa reached the castle's courtyard and continued out the main gate. For several minutes she paid no attention to where her feet were taking her and was pulled suddenly back to reality by a cool, salty breeze. She blinked, startled to realize that she was at Arendelle's docks, standing at the end of one of the piers.

Elsa gazed across the harbor with unfocused eyes, listening to the waves lap softly against the wooden supports of the docks. She leaned her head forward against her chest as another breeze blew around her, ruffling her hair and causing a corner of the paper in her hands to brush gently against her chin. The queen shuddered, shifting the paper away from her face and closing her eyes. She forced herself to exhale slowly before lowering the document to read it once again.

_Queen Elsa of Arendelle has until one month from today to step down from her throne. A white flag must be flown from the top of the Queen's castle to signal her unconditional surrender and abdication. If the Queen surrenders within thirty days, no harm will come to Arendelle's rulers or its people. But, if in thirty days' time, no white flag can be seen atop the castle, Arendelle will burn._

Elsa clenched her hands and realized that she was still holding the bolt that had fastened the paper to the throne. She hurriedly threw the missile into the water and looked back at the document, her hands trembling. The paper was completely blank, save for the words in the middle of its surface. There was no seal or signature of any kind, nothing to indicate who would make such a threat against Arendelle.

The queen bit her lip as frost began to creep across the paper again, its icy tendrils snaking over the ink of the message.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Sky's Not Even Awake

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reading this story! I'm sorry if the plot so far is a bit dull but after this chapter everything will be ready for my OC to appear and liven things up a bit.**

* * *

"Elsa. Hey, Elsa!"

A hand rested on her shoulder and the queen jumped, crumpling the paper into her fist. She felt the frost on the document thicken as she spun around to face the person behind her.

"Oh, Anna. It's just you," Elsa said, scrunching the paper further into her hand to hide it from her sister.

Anna yawned, scratching her head and trying to finish taming the wild hair she typically woke up with. Her nose wrinkled as her fingers became tangled in her messy bangs. She went cross-eyed attempting to look at the digits caught in her hair, fumbling for a few seconds before she managed to extract her fingers. Anna yawned again and gave her sister a look of sleepy indignation.

"Just me? Yeah, it is _just me_, just the sister who faithfully stood by your side for eighteen years, even when you froze the entire kingdom. Well, I guess thirteen of those years were spent _trying_ to be by your side, but still."

"Anna, I…" Elsa began, concern creeping across her face.

Anna chuckled and drew Elsa into a hug. "Relax, I was only joking." Anna kissed her sister on the cheek and stepped back from the embrace, sliding her fingers around Elsa's free hand. "It's nice to see you too, Elsa."

Seeing the stunned look on her sister's face, Anna quickly dropped Elsa's hand. "Oh, I'm sorry! I keep forgetting about your stuff with personal space. I'm still just so excited to have my big sister back and it completely slips my mind that you're not used to people touching you. But you seem to be handling it pretty well for someone who didn't even hug anyone for thirteen years. Not because you didn't want a hug that whole time, obviously, I mean, you hugged me right away after I almost froze to death, but…."

Anna had taken a step back from Elsa, clasping her hands together and looking down at them, her face getting redder as she continued to babble. "Uh, maybe I shouldn't have brought up that whole me-almost-turning-to-solid-ice-because-you-froze-my-heart thing. I'm sorry, I-I'll just stop talking."

Elsa stared at her sister, dazed by the displays of affection, their quick withdrawal, and Anna's stumbling speech. There was silence for another ten seconds before Elsa's brain finally caught up with the conversation.

"It's all right, Anna." Elsa let her features relax into a small smile. Anna raised her head to meet her sister's gaze, her expression hesitant but hopeful.

"But why are you up?" Elsa asked, gesturing at the still-dark horizon. "The sky's not even awake yet."

"Well, I woke up a few minutes ago and couldn't fall back asleep." Anna moved to once again take Elsa's hand, swinging their arms as she rocked from her heels to her toes. "So I went to your room, hoping I could convince you to read to me." Anna caught Elsa's eye and grinned. "Or build a snowman."

Elsa rolled her eyes as Anna continued, "Anyway, when I couldn't find you in your room I started wandering around the castle looking for you. I saw you through one of the windows and decided I wanted to bother my favorite sister. So now I'm here! Ta da!" Anna released Elsa's hand to throw her arms in the air above her head, smiling as her older sister shook her head at her antics. "So what are you doing at the docks? And what's that paper you're holding?"

Elsa's smile faltered and she glanced down at the paper still clenched in her fist. "This is…it's a draft of a trade agreement I was working on last night."

She glanced back at Anna and had to fight the urge to look quickly away. Anna's expression was so warm and open, so trusting. Anna trusted her completely. And here she was, starting a new lie with her sister, shutting her out once again. Elsa cleared her throat and forced her smile to widen. "I had the same problem, I woke up and couldn't fall back to sleep. So I decided to grab my notes and take a walk. I was hoping it would help make things clearer."

"And?" Anna asked, squeezing her sister's hand with a look of concern.

Elsa gripped the paper tighter, struggling to keep the smile on her face. Had Anna seen through her lie? She swallowed nervously. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, did the walk help? Did it make things any clearer?"

The queen sighed, turning to look at the water as the first rays of dawn sparkled on its surface. "Sadly, no."

"I'm sorry. But I know you'll figure it out! You always do." Anna gave her a quick hug. "I know what will cheer you up! Let's have breakfast together."

"Only if you can convince Gerda to let us have chocolate for breakfast," Elsa said. She gave her sister a genuinely happy smile and Anna beamed back at her. After a few seconds Elsa moved to head back to the castle, but was stopped by Anna's hand on her arm.

"Wait, Elsa," Anna said, staring out across the water. "What's that?"

Elsa turned and followed her sister's gaze, squinting as the reflections of the rising sun on the water stung her eyes. A dark shape was floating slowly into Arendelle's harbor, still too far away to determine what it was.

They waited in silence for a moment as the shape drifted closer to the docks.

Anna gasped. "Elsa, that's a person! We have to help them."

Elsa raised her hands and swept them in the direction of the figure bobbing in the distance, creating a wide, icy path on the surface of the water. Anna moved forward, preparing to leap down onto the ice that extended a few feet from the dock.

Elsa grabbed her sister's shoulder before Anna could jump from the pier. "No, Anna, you wait here."

Anna opened her mouth to object but Elsa silenced her with a raised hand. "Anna, you can barely stand upright on ice, much less sprint across it to rescue someone. You would probably fall into the water halfway there and then I'd have to save two people."

Anna crossed her arms with a huff. "I wouldn't need you to rescue me! But fine, you're right, I wouldn't be much help. So hurry up and go help that person!"

Elsa nodded, spun around, and leapt onto the ice below the pier. She landed gracefully and began to run toward the figure, extending her frosty path as she went. As she got closer, she could see that the person seemed to be unconscious and clinging to a small piece of wood.

When Elsa was still several feet away, the planks the person was gripping suddenly broke apart and they slipped beneath the surface. Quickly, Elsa waved her hands to end her frozen path at the spot where they had gone under. She slid the last few feet to the edge of the ice, landing on her knees and plunging her hand into the sea. Groping around in the dark water, Elsa leaned forward, creating a small chunk of ice to brace her left hand as she reached deeper into the water.

Her hand grasped something solid and Elsa pulled, falling backwards onto her icy path as she heaved the person to the surface. She lay on her back, panting, staring at the cloudless sky as she fought to regain her breath. After a moment, Elsa raised her head to look at the person she had just rescued. Her hand was wrapped around the person's wrist and, though they were still half-submerged in the water, they were no longer in danger of sinking.

"Elsa!" Anna cried as she skidded to a stop next to her sister, grabbing the unconscious person's other arm. She hauled the person fully onto the ice as Elsa rolled out of the way.

Elsa stood up, brushing frost from her dress and glaring at her sister. "I thought I told you to wait on the dock."

Anna rolled her eyes as she gently lowered the unconscious person onto their back. "Yes, and I agreed that was a good idea until you fell and it looked like you were going to get pulled under as well."

"I didn't fall, that was part of the rescue," Elsa said firmly. She made an exasperated noise. "Never mind, it doesn't matter."

The queen knelt down beside the person she had just rescued. A young woman, probably around Elsa's age, with short hair and tanned skin lay prone on the ice in front of her. Elsa put a hand on the woman's chest, feeling a slight rise and fall. "She's still breathing. We should get her help as soon as possible."

Elsa rose to her feet and pulled the unconscious woman off the ice, draping one of her limp arms over her shoulders. Anna ducked under the woman's other arm and they began the walk back to the pier.

"I appreciate your help, but you still shouldn't have come after me. I would have been just fine with my powers," Elsa reprimanded her sister as they dragged the woman across the ice.

Anna grunted, adjusting the position the senseless woman's arm on her shoulders. "So you're saying that if you had fallen into the water you would've been able to raise yourself back to the surface with your ice? If that's true, then why didn't you just use your powers to save this woman?"

Elsa opened her mouth and closed it again, feeling a blush creep up her neck. Why had she not thought of that? "I knew exactly what I was doing!"

Anna snorted. "Yeah, okay. Whatever, Elsa."

Elsa let out a frustrated sigh. "It doesn't matter now. We saved her, and now we have to get her to a doctor."

"I'll send someone to town to wake the doctor after we get this woman to the castle."

"Anna, we can't bring her into the castle. We should send her with some guards to get her a bed at the inn."

Anna glared at Elsa over the top of the unconscious woman's dangling head. "Elsa, what's the matter with you? This woman just almost _drowned_, the least we can do is let her sleep for a few nights in one of the hundreds of beds we have in our huge, empty castle."

"No, we can't. It's not safe."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Elsa bit her lip. Before this morning, she probably would have agreed with Anna. But after she found that note, now that she knew about this threat to Arendelle, this threat to Anna, she didn't know if this was such a good idea.

Frustrated by Elsa's silence, Anna reached around the back of the woman they were carrying to poke her sister in the ribs. "Elsa, you're being ridiculous. We just pulled this woman out of the harbor. It's not like she's some sort of threat!"

Elsa's shoulders tensed at her sister's words but she knew she couldn't argue with Anna without mentioning the note she had just discovered.

Anna slipped slightly and Elsa flicked her hand behind the unconscious woman's back, creating a low barrier on the edge of the ice that stopped Anna's foot before it could slide into the water.

Elsa sighed, looking quickly down at the ice as she caught sight of Anna's grateful expression. "Okay, Anna. Let's get this woman to the castle."


	3. Chapter 3 - I Must Protest

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who's taken the time to read this story! And an extra thank you to those who have followed, favorited, and reviewed. Your interest in this story has really been motivating me to get out more updates.**

**This chapter is a little short but this is the best way I could find to break up the story. But it also means the next chapter should be fairly long and I will do my best to get chapter 4 out later this evening. **

**This chapter does have an OC, but not Elsa's love interest, but I promise she will be in the next chapter!**

* * *

There was a shout as Elsa and Anna stepped onto the pier and several guards rushed towards them. "Your majesties, are you all right? We saw you from the castle walls and came as soon as we could."

"Yes, we're perfectly fine," Elsa said as two of the men stepped forward to pull the unconscious woman from the sisters' shoulders. "Find Gerda and help her settle this woman into one of our guest rooms. And could one of you please inform Commander Bristin that I wish to meet with him in my study as soon as possible?"

One of the guards saluted, spun on his heel, and walked quickly toward the main gates to summon the Commander, with Elsa, Anna, and the guards carrying the senseless woman following at a much slower pace.

"Why are you meeting with Bristin?" Anna asked as they entered the courtyard.

"Just for our weekly meeting. I like to keep informed about the state of the castle's guard." Elsa was horrified at how easily the lie slipped from her tongue.

"Look at you, being such an awesome and informed queen," Anna said, grinning at her sister. "But you might want to change first." She tugged on Elsa's right sleeve, which was soaking from fishing the woman out of the ocean.

"Yes, of course. Thanks, Anna." Elsa did her best to return her sister's smile but could only manage to get the corners of her lips to twitch rather pathetically upward. She hurried into the castle before Anna could notice.

* * *

Elsa burst into the study, trying to smooth the wrinkles from her hastily thrown-on outfit. She closed the doors behind her and sat behind the large desk, trying to slow her rapid breathing and appear as composed as possible.

A knock on the door of the study caused her to look up. "Enter," she called, and the door opened to admit the Commander of Arendelle's Guard, Leo Bristin.

"You asked for me, your majesty?" Bristin said, bowing stiffly. After a few seconds the Commander straightened, his eyes pausing almost imperceptibly on the queen's desk before they flicked up to meet her gaze. Elsa glanced downwards to find several papers scattered randomly across the surface of her desk. Trying not to blush, she swiftly gathered the documents, shuffling them into a neat stack and setting them aside.

Elsa cleared her throat and squared her shoulders, raising her gaze to the Commander's face. "Yes, Commander. I have a matter of great importance to discuss with you." Bristin nodded and Elsa took a deep breath before continuing. "This morning I discovered a threat against Arendelle."

The Commander's brow furrowed deeply. "And what was this threat?"

"I have thirty days to surrender my throne and the kingdom or 'Arendelle will burn,'" Elsa said, doing her best to hold her face in an expression that held the appropriate amount of concern while still remaining collected.

"I see," Bristin said calmly. "And how was the threat made?"

"A note, fastened to the back of my throne with a bolt from a crossbow."

"May I see this note?"

Panic fluttered in the queen's chest. "I…I seem to have misplaced the document."

Bristin frowned and Elsa looked away quickly, her hands tightening around the fabric of her dress. She gritted her teeth and raised her head to meet the Commander's eyes with a level gaze. "I seem to have lost track of the note while I was rescuing a woman from drowning."

The Commander raised an eyebrow. "And where is this woman now?"

"She was brought back to the castle, so presumably she can be found in one of our guest rooms," Elsa said, fighting to keep her voice and eyes steady under the Commander's disapproving gaze.

Bristin stepped up to the desk and braced his palms against it. He leaned forward onto his hands, the frustration on his face evident.

"So…" he began slowly and Elsa flinched. "You discovered a threat this morning and, rather than informing me immediately, went on a rescue mission and lost the only evidence of this threat. Then you brought the stranger you saved into the castle despite the fact that you had just been made aware that there are strangers who wish harm to you and Arendelle."

Elsa felt herself wilting under the Commander's steely gaze, but managed to keep her eyes trained on his face. "Yes," she said as evenly as she could.

"You do realize, your majesty, that delaying to bring this threat to my attention could have put you and your sister in grave danger."

"Yes I am, Commander."

"And that bringing a complete stranger into the castle without my knowledge could seriously impede my ability to provide adequate security."

"I know, Commander."

Bristin sighed heavily. "Your majesty, I must protest your actions. They were irresponsible and ill-thought-out. You—"

Elsa stood up suddenly, knocking her chair to the floor. Frost snaked from her clenched fists and across the desk, icy spikes forming along the edges of the wood. "No, Commander, _I_ must protest. I understand that my actions may be questionable but do not forget to whom you are speaking."

Startled, Bristin straightened up and removed his hands from the desk, clasping them behind his back. "Forgive me, your majesty. I forgot myself in my desire to protect you and the princess."

Elsa exhaled slowly, the frosty spikes on her desk receding as she relaxed her hands. "I appreciate your honesty, Commander and I acknowledge that, if similar circumstances arise in the future, I should handle them differently. However, as much as we both would desire it, my actions this morning cannot be reversed and I would ask that we move forward as best we can from here."

"Yes, your majesty. I will speak with the soldiers who were on this morning's watch to see if they noticed anyone or anything strange, as well as increase the number of guards on each watch.

Elsa dipped her head in the Commander's direction. "I trust your judgment, Commander, and leave all security changes in your hands. Please inform me if you discover anything from your soldiers."

Bristin crossed his right arm over his chest and bowed deeply. "As you wish, my queen." He turned to leave, but hesitated.

"Is there anything else, Bristin?"

The Commander turned to face the queen and stood at attention, staring fixedly at the bookshelves behind her. "I wish to again apologize for my earlier words, your majesty. I know it is no excuse, but I spoke only out of concern for you, your sister, and all of Arendelle."

Elsa's expression softened at the genuine remorse in the Commander's eyes. "I understand, Commander. I have not ruled for long and any counsel you can provide is welcome. I would, however, ask that any future advice be delivered with the appropriate amount of respect."

"Of course, your majesty. Again, you have my sincerest apologies." Bristin bowed once more before striding swiftly from the room.

* * *

Elsa rubbed her temples as she held back an exasperated sigh. She leaned her elbows on the desk and propped up her head in her hands, surveying the letters before her. There was a proposal for a trade agreement from Corona, a letter from Weselton's Minister of Trade protesting the cessation of trade between the two kingdoms, and another formal apology and trade offer from the Southern Isles. Elsa roughly brushed the letter from Weselton onto the floor and picked up the Corona agreement. She tried to review the details of the proposal but the words blurred before her tired eyes. After a moment Elsa leaned back in her chair, letting her gaze wander idly over the papers scattered across the desk. Kai had brought her documents continuously throughout the day, creating several piles of rather intimidating size that were becoming more and more tempting to ignore.

Elsa made a frustrated noise in the back of her throat and stood up, placing the letter from Corona back on the desk. She stepped toward the window at the back of the study and watched the light of the sunset dance across the harbor. The water's gentle movement had a calming effect on her nerves and she ran her fingers through her hair, pushing back the strands of her loose braid that had gathered around her face.

There was a knock at the door of the study, followed a few seconds later by the click of the door handle and Kai's voice echoing through the room. "Your majesty?"

The queen sighed and turned to look at the servant. "Yes, Kai? Are there more documents that require my attention?"

Kai shook his head. "No, your majesty. I just came to see if there is anything you need."

"No more papers for the day? Thank goodness." Elsa made no effort to hide the relief on her face, drawing a small smile from the servant.

"Is there anything else, your majesty?"

"No, Kai, but thank you for checking on me. Oh, wait." Elsa put up a hand as Kai began to back out of the study. "There is one thing. Do you have any idea where my sister is?"

"I believe she is with the woman you rescued this morning, in one of the guest rooms on the second floor."

Elsa nodded. "Thank you, Kai. I believe I am done working for the day, so please just leave any other documents that arrive on my desk."

"Of course, your majesty." The servant bowed slightly and left the room .

* * *

**To reviewer Aky-Sana: thanks for reviewing and suggesting other fics with Elsa and a female partner :) And I would love to read your story, but sadly I stopped studying French a few years ago and my translation skills are pretty terrible right now. It would be awesome if you were able to translate it into English, but either way I hope you keep writing!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Something Beneath Her Smile

**A/N: Hello again readers! **

**Sorry to keep you all waiting, I meant to get this out earlier but it took longer to finish that I thought. But it's here now, so yay!**

**This chapter is the first appearance of my OC. It's a little long, but splitting up the dialogue seemed awkward and I need to make up for the tiny little chapter I posted earlier. I hope you enjoy the introduction to my OC and please let me know what you think of her!**

* * *

Elsa knocked quietly on the door, calling softly, "Anna?"

She heard movement behind the door and it opened a few seconds later, revealing the smiling face of her sister.

"Hi, Elsa!" Anna said loudly, opening the door wider to pull her sister into a hug.

"Shh, Princess, we don't want to wake her before she's ready," Gerda chided from inside the room.

Anna stepped away from the hug, ducking her head. "Oh, sorry, Gerda," she said in a loud whisper that was not much quieter than the voice she had just used. Gerda shook her finger at the princess but there was a loving smile on the servant's face. Anna grinned sheepishly at her.

Elsa chuckled, moving past her sister and into the room. Anna turned to close the door, moving with exaggerated slowness to show Gerda how hard she was trying to be quiet. Gerda shook her head, gathered several dirty towels from the bed and an empty kettle from the bedside table, and walked toward the door. Anna, who had managed to close the door without a sound, threw her arms in the air in celebration of her success and spun around, smashing directly into Gerda. The kettle slipped from the servant's hands and Anna dived to catch it but tripped over her skirt, landing on the carpet with a loud thump as the kettle clanged against the floor.

A sharp intake of breath from the bed caused them all to turn. The eyes of the woman tucked under the covers flickered open, struggling to focus on her new surroundings.

"Oops," Anna said, standing up suddenly and almost losing her balance.

Gerda sighed, steadying the princess before swiping the kettle from the ground. "Now that she's awake, I might as well go prepare some broth for her dinner." Turning to the figure lying in the bed she said, "I'll be back in a moment with some soup, Miss. I do hope you're feeling all right."

The woman opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by a long, dry-sounding cough. She nodded weakly instead and Gerda left the room.

Anna raced to the bedside. "Hi! What's your name? I'm Anna and this is my sister, Elsa. We pulled you out of the harbor this morning. How did you get there, anyway? Were you on a ship? Where are you from? What did you say your name was again?"

"Anna!" Elsa walked toward the bed, stopping slightly behind her sister. "Slow down."

Anna glanced at Elsa and then back to the dazed expression on the other woman's face. "Oh, sorry! I just got really excited because there's someone new in the castle!" She sat on the bed near where the woman's legs were under the blanket and asked more slowly, "So what's your name?"

The woman tried to talk but again could only manage to cough. Anna jumped up, seizing the pitcher of water on the bedside table. She filled the empty glass next to the pitcher and thrust it toward the woman, spilling some of the water on the floor. "Here! This might help."

The woman nodded, reaching for the glass. Anna helped maneuver the pillows on the bed so the woman could sit comfortably upright and carefully arranged the blankets so they stayed around her shoulders. The woman was able to take only a small sip of water before she had to move the glass rather hurriedly away from her mouth as Anna bounced back onto the bed. Eying Anna to make sure she was completely settled, the woman brought the glass to her lips and drank deeply. When she had finished, Anna took the glass and placed it back on the bedside table while the woman sank back into the pillows, resting her hands lightly in her lap.

The woman cleared her throat and finally managed a strained, crackling, "Thank you." She coughed again and was able to say in a much clearer voice, "My name is Sera."

"Nice to meet you, Sera!" Anna offered her hand and the woman took it, wincing as Anna pumped her arm up and down.

"Oh, sorry! Again." Anna withdrew her hand. "You're probably a little sore."

Sera laughed softly. "'A little' is a bit of an understatement."

Anna smiled and continued asking Sera questions about how she was feeling while Elsa watched their exchange in amazement. Her sister had met this woman only a moment ago and was already able to gently take care of her and strike up an amiable conversation. Elsa couldn't even imagine herself doing something like that. Usually when she met someone for the first time, she could only ever manage to stand around awkwardly.

Realizing that she was, in fact, standing around awkwardly, Elsa stepped forward with her hand extended. "It's good to meet you, Sera. I'm Elsa."

Elsa shook Sera's hand carefully to avoid aggravating her injuries but was surprised by the woman's strong, sure grip. Looking up from the handshake, Elsa found herself staring into Sera's intense, pale green eyes. The woman's gaze was steady and confident, and the small smile she gave Elsa lifted to her eyes, but Elsa could see that there was something beneath that as well. It was a look the queen knew well, one she had seen often in her own mirror, though it had been beneath an expressionless façade rather than a smile; it was the look of someone who carried a great burden, someone who had suffered and was continuing to suffer.

Sera's smile widened and Anna giggled. Elsa snapped her attention back to reality and realized she was still holding Sera's hand.

Elsa quickly released the woman's hand. "Oh, I'm so sorry." She felt a blush begin to creep up her neck and was thankful for her dress's high collar.

Anna continued to snicker and said to Sera, "Elsa's nice but she can be kind of bad with people."

"Anna!" Elsa cried, crossing her arms. "I am not 'bad with people'."

Anna stuck out her tongue at her sister. "Maybe not, but you can certainly be awkward."

Elsa rolled her eyes, making Anna giggle even harder.

Sera cleared her throat softly, causing Elsa to jump and Anna's giggles to increase to a full-blown laugh at her sister's awkwardness.

"Not that this isn't fascinating—and amusing," Sera said, watching as Anna unsuccessfully tried to contain her mirth. "But is it all right if I ask where I am?"

"Arendelle Castle! Which is in Arendelle!" Anna replied enthusiastically.

Now it was Elsa's turn to laugh. "She probably figured that out, Anna. Where is it that you're from, Sera?"

"Eskadi," Sera said.

Elsa nodded. "That's a ways south and west of Arendelle, right? A fairly small kingdom with lots of rolling hills and forested mountains. Main export is textiles, made from the wool of the sheep that are kept on the grasslands, and known for some of the best horses in the region. A small but well-trained and efficient military, especially the cavalry, if I remember correctly."

Anna, who had been trying to hold back her laughter the entire time Elsa was speaking, fell onto her side, snorting and gasping while she rolled around on the bed. "Elsa, why would she know that kind of information? Are you going to ask her about Eskadi's gross domestic produce now?"

"It's gross domestic _product…_" the queen corrected sternly, but fell silent when she realized what Anna meant. She felt a blush burn across her cheeks and quickly created a small gust of cold wind to cool it.

Anna, still giggling, watched as her sister struggled to compose herself. "You must make her nervous," Anna said, looking up at Sera from where she lay on the bed. "She's usually awkward, but hardly ever _this_ awkward."

Elsa had to generate an even stronger breeze to banish a new wave of embarrassment. Anna noticed the cool wind and, seeing Elsa's neck and cheeks begin to glow red, laughed even harder.

"It's all right, Elsa," Sera said gently. She was smiling with a slightly bemused but encouraging expression that helped Elsa calm down considerably.

Anna was still rolling around on the bed, clutching her sides, and Sera swatted playfully at her shoulder. "Hey, be nice! Everything your sister said is right, though that's not exactly how I would have phrased it. However," Sera said, grinning as she looked up Elsa, "I don't actually know Eskadi's gross domestic product."

Elsa gave the woman a small smile as Anna was finally able to gain control of her laughter. "Okay, so no one knows Eskadi's growth domesticated prowess," Anna said, earning a glare from her sister. "But, Sera, how did you end up in Arendelle? We found you this morning in the harbor and saved you from drowning."

"I was on a ship," Sera said. "There was a storm and I got thrown overboard. I managed to find some wood to cling to after I was tossed into the water and I guess I floated on it to Arendelle."

Elsa frowned. "That's odd. I didn't think Eskadi did a lot of trading this far north and we hardly ever get immigrants to Arendelle. Do you know the name of the ship or its final destination? Or maybe what type of cargo it was carrying?"

Sera's face fell slightly and she let her gaze drop to the bedspread. "No," she said softly. "I don't."

Elsa was taken aback by the serious tone that had crept into Sera's voice and was left fumbling, unsure of how to proceed. Anna, noticing the silence, stepped in with her usual cheerfulness. "Well, you're lucky we found you when we did, Sera. You would've drowned if Elsa hadn't pulled you out."

Sera's smile returned as she glanced up at Elsa. "Thank you."

Elsa was again thrown off by this abrupt change. "Anna helped, too," she mumbled, breaking eye contact with Sera.

"Well, then thanks to you as well, Anna," Sera said, shifting so the bed sheets fell from her shoulders, revealing her well-muscled but badly bruised torso. The blankets pooled around her waist, revealing that she was clad only in her underclothes.

"Ooo, muscles!" Anna said, poking her finger at Sera's abdomen, careful to avoid any bruises.

Sera laughed, causing her well-defined abs to flex and contract. She lifted a hand to brush away Anna's fingers and a series of muscles rippled through her left arm and shoulder. "Hey, watch it, that's still tender."

Sera looked up at Elsa and choked back a laugh. Following Sera's gaze, Anna discovered her sister, lips slightly parted, staring transfixed at Sera's body.

"Elsa!" Anna jokingly chided her sister. "Don't you know it's rude to stare?"

Elsa started, her blush now almost reaching her forehead. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"I can put the blanket back if it would make you more comfortable," Sera said, regarding Elsa kindly. "It's just a little warm in here for me."

"Ah, no, it's fine, you're fine, I mean—" Elsa stopped and took a deep breath as Anna started to snigger. Sera raised an eyebrow but continued to smile at the queen.

"However you are most comfortable is fine," Elsa said after a few deep breaths. She looked back at the woman's torso. "Those bruises look pretty nasty though."

Sera grimaced as she glanced down at her battered body. "Yeah, I had an interesting time getting off that ship. Some cargo got loose in the hold and decided to dance on me for a while."

"Do you know if any of your injuries were severe?"

"Oh, I know that answer to that!" Anna jumped in excitedly. "I was here earlier when the doctor was examining you. He said nothing seemed broken, just badly bruised. The only thing he found that was worrying were several ribs that might be fractured. And you're really, really dehydrated!" she reported with enthusiasm.

Elsa lifted an eyebrow at her sister's tone. "Anna, you really shouldn't sound so excited when listing someone's injuries."

Sera laughed, running a hand through her closely cropped hair. "It's fine. Thanks for telling me about my injuries, Anna."

There was a knock on the door and Gerda entered the room carrying a tray with a bowl of steaming broth. Anna leapt up to clear a space for the tray on the bedside table. Elsa realized that she was staring at Sera's hand as the woman ruffled her light brown hair, but before she could look away, Sera caught her eye and winked. The queen's blush deepened and she was exceedingly grateful that Anna and Gerda were distracted with re-arranging the nightstand.

Gerda carefully handed Sera the bowl of broth and a spoon. "Is there anything else I can get you, Miss?"

"No, thank you. I don't think I've been introduced to you yet. I'm Sera."

"Gerda," the servant said, handing Sera a cloth napkin from the tray.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Gerda. The broth is delicious."

"Thank you kindly, Miss Sera." Gerda smiled and looked at Anna and Elsa in turn. "Is there anything I can do for either of you, Princess, Your Highness?"

"No Gerda," Elsa replied. "And thank you again for caring for Sera."

"Of course, your majesty." Gerda bowed and turned back to Sera. "You can leave the bowl on the tray when you're finished, Miss Sera. I'll send someone in later to collect it."

Sera nodded and Gerda strode out of the room. After the door clicked shut behind the servant, Sera sipped her broth silently for a moment before setting aside her spoon and nervously rubbing her arm. "So, um, you two are royalty?"

"Yep!" Anna said, leaping up to curtsey at Sera. "I'm Anna, Princess of Arendelle. And this is Elsa, Queen of Arendelle."

Sera grinned sheepishly. "I apologize if I was out of line before, I didn't realize I was addressing royalty."

Anna waved a hand dismissively. "Pft, it's fine. I actually don't like it when people use my title. Especially when they're my friends!"

Sera laughed and bent her torso in an exaggerated half-bow. "I am honored to be counted among your friends, Princess Anna of Arendelle."

"No, just 'Anna!''" Anna mock-scolded Sera as the woman snickered.

Anna grabbed her sister's shoulders, pulling her close. "And you can be Elsa's friend too, so don't bother using her title either."

Startled, Elsa struggled to find her voice. "I, um…uh."

Sera gave another half-bow, this time with more ceremony. "If given the chance, I look forward to becoming your friend as well, Queen Elsa."

Elsa nodded as Anna released her and stepped toward the bed. Anna took the empty bowl from Sera's hands and yanked the covers back over the woman's shoulders, pushing her down against the pillows. "But you need to sleep now, Sera. You need to be well-rested so I can show you the castle tomorrow!"

"I can't wait," Sera said, yawning and shifting several pillows so she could lie down properly.

Anna ushered her sister out the door, almost slamming it shut behind them in her eagerness. She took Elsa's hands in her own and grinned at her. "I like Sera! I'm really glad we were able to save her this morning." She leaned forward to plant a kiss on the queen's cheek. "Good night, Elsa!"

Anna pulled her sister into a quick hug before skipping down the hallway to her room. After Anna's bedroom door had closed, Elsa turned back to the guest room. Gently, she placed her fingertips on the door and frost bloomed beneath her touch, looping across the door in intricate patterns.

"I am, too," she whispered softly .


	5. Chapter 5 - Swearing Before the Queen

**A/N: Wow, this chapter ended up being really long. I'm not sure how I feel about the way it turned out, but I hope you all enjoy it. I start classes again in a few days, so the next update might not be out for a while but I'll do my best to get it done as quickly as possible.**

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Elsa stood at the window, savoring the feeling of the warm sun on her face. There was an enormous pile of papers on the desk behind her but Elsa couldn't bring herself to leave the sunlight. She stretched leisurely, humming pleasantly as the warm fabric of her dress brushed against her arms.

The door of the study slammed open and Elsa jumped, a burst of frost appearing on the window. The ice melted almost immediately on the warm glass, its watery remains shimmering brilliantly in the sun.

"Elsa!" Anna yelled as she raced into the room. "How are you?" She ran to hug her sister from behind, causing Elsa's entire body to tense.

"Oh, sorry," Anna said, noticing her sister's discomfort. She started to pull away but Elsa reached up to hold her sister's arms, forcing herself to relax into the hug.

"I'm fine, Anna." After a few seconds Elsa let go of Anna's hands and turned to face her. "You just surprised me, that's all."

The sound of footsteps came from the doorway and Elsa looked up to see Sera stepping cautiously into the room.

"Hey," Sera said, raising a hand in greeting. "Sorry if we're interrupting anything."

"I don't care if we're interrupting you, you need to take a break!" Anna moved to sit on Elsa's desk, heedless of the carefully organized papers that covered its surface. "You work too much!" Anna swept her arms into the air to emphasize her point, accidentally scattering some of Elsa's papers to the floor.

"Anna!" Elsa gave her sister an exasperated look before bending down to retrieve her documents. She was surprised to find Sera already kneeling in front of her, swiftly gathering the papers.

Elsa's hands groped blindly across the floor in search of any stray papers while her eyes remained fixed on the other woman. She flushed when Sera looked up, realizing that she had been too busy staring to actually help. Sera smiled, offering Elsa the collected papers, and the queen took them with a hesitant smile of her own.

The two stood up and Elsa moved behind the desk, playfully swatting at Anna with the stack of papers until she hopped down from her perch.

"I'm sorry I messed up your stuff but it's a beautiful afternoon and you need to come have tea with us in the garden," Anna declared, putting her hands on her hips. "And I won't take 'no' for an answer!"

"All right, Anna, I'll be down in the garden in a few minutes. I just need to straighten up the mess you made of my desk."

Anna clapped her hands in delight and practically sprinted from the room, grabbing Sera's arm to tow her along. "See you in the garden in five minutes!"

Sera grinned at Elsa over her shoulder as Anna tugged her out of sight.

* * *

"Aw, they like you, that's so adorable!"

Elsa walked down the veranda that bordered one side of the castle garden, listening to Anna and Sera's banter. She came to the small stone path that led to the center of the garden and found Anna and Sera seated on the grass, surrounded by honking baby geese.

"I'll get more food!" Anna jumped up suddenly, startling several of the goslings. "Oh, sorry little guys."

Anna walked over to a tray sitting on a small iron table, seizing a handful pastries from a plate. She ran back to sit next to Sera, handing the woman several of the cakes.

Sera broke the pastry into pieces and offered it to one of the goslings. The gosling, however, seemed far more interested in the crumbs that had fallen in Sera's lap and he struggled to climb onto her thigh, his little wings flapping as he honked.

Elsa giggled at the gosling's antics and Anna and Sera looked up, both wearing huge smiles. "Want to feed them?" Anna asked, offering a pastry to her sister.

Elsa nodded and walked over to take the pastry from Anna, lowering herself gracefully onto the ground. She tore a small piece from the cake and tossed it to another of the goslings, who honked appreciatively at the offering.

Elsa laughed, glancing up to find Sera's eyes on her. The woman grinned and then winced. "Ow, little guy!" Sera said, looking down at the gosling on her lap. He had succeeded in climbing onto her thigh and was now pecking furiously at the crumbs covering her pants, obviously hitting a few of the woman's bruises.

"You're very cute, but that hurts!" Sera said as she brushed the crumbs onto the ground. The gosling lurched off her lap to search for the bits of pastry in the grass.

A few minutes later, the goslings lost interest in the pastries and scuttled away to find their mother at the nearby pond.

"Darn, they left," Anna whined. She looked down at the pastries in her hands. "But I still have lots more food...Oh well!" Anna stuffed the extra cakes in her mouth.

"Ith good, ry it!" Anna urged Sera, gesturing at the pastries in the woman's hands. Sera grinned and followed suit.

Elsa giggled at the two women struggling to chew around the large amounts of food in their mouths. "So, how was the tour of the castle?"

Sera managed to swallow her pastries first and laughed. "It was a wonderful tour! Anna showed me the best places to slide across the floor in your socks and told me the story behind every dent she's ever put in each suit of armor in the castle. Oh, and I got to have a lovely conversation with Joan of Arc."

"Ah, I see," Elsa said, a small smirk pulling at her lips. "So all the important stuff."

Anna was finally able to swallow her food and gasped for air. "Too many pastries," she said breathlessly, falling backwards into the grass. "And of course I gave a great tour, I had thirteen years to find out everything about this place."

Elsa's smile faltered and an awkward silence settled over the three of them.

Sera, noticing the abrupt pause, looked at the garden around her. "This place is beautiful," she said as she got to her feet. She walked to a nearby flowerbed and knelt down in front of a cluster of plants, each with long, broad leaves that grew out in a circular pattern from a thin stem.

"These are lilies of the valley, correct?" Sera asked, glancing over her shoulder at the two sisters.

"Yes," Anna said, slightly more somber than usual. She stood and walked over to join Sera in front of the plants, reaching out to tenderly stroke one of their leaves. "They were our mother's favorite flower. Too bad it's so late in the season, you'll have to wait until next spring to see them in bloom."

Sera nodded. "I've seen them before so I can understand why your mother loved them. They're beautiful when in bloom. Curved stems dangling tiny, white, bell-shaped flowers. And the smell of them is amazing. I never understood how such a small plant could have such a strong smell."

Anna sat back on her heels and smiled, chuckling softly. "Every year my mother would bring me to look at them as soon as she saw they were flowering. Some years she noticed really, _really _early in the morning and she would wake me up, sometimes before sunrise. I was grumpy about it when she woke me up early but I always enjoyed sitting with her and looking at the flowers."

Elsa had remained sitting several feet behind the other two women, watching them carefully. After Anna finished telling her story, the queen closed her eyes and took a deep breath before saying, "I remember how Mother always had vases of them placed all around the castle while they were blooming. It made the entire castle smell so wonderful…"

Elsa trailed off and was silent for a moment, fingering the hem of her dress. "She brought a vase of them into my room once because she knew I loved them, too. But I was so afraid I would freeze and kill them that I made her take them away."

Anna rose and hurried over to her sister, gently taking Elsa's hand in her own. She gave Elsa a small but encouraging smile and Elsa gratefully squeezed her sister's hand.

Sera had remained by the lilies of the valley, staring at them intently. "May I?" she asked, looking at the sisters as she reached toward the plants. Elsa nodded and Sera ran her fingers over the yellowed leaves of one of the plants, concern settling over her features. "Their leaves normally start to wither this time of year, but this seems like more than that. These plants look sick."

Elsa sighed. "They always start dying around this time of year. They're originally from Corona—Mother brought some of them with her when she married our father—and they've never done as well in Arendelle. The gardeners always try their best but we have to import new ones to replant every spring."

Sera's brow furrowed as she examined the leaves of several other plants and worked her fingers into the soil. Removing a chunk of dirt from the ground, she rolled it between her fingers for a moment as she glanced around the garden. "Lilies of the valley are perennials, they shouldn't die every year," Sera said as she brushed the dirt from her hands. She pointed to a shady spot beneath a tree. "They should really be planted over there. Lilies of the valley grow best in the shade and these ones getting too much sun where they are now."

Elsa frowned, looking over at the area Sera had selected. "The gardeners have always planted them in the same spot. I don't think they would want to move them."

"Well, I'll have to have a word with your gardeners, then, won't I?" Sera said, a smile tugging at her lips.

"I doubt they'll appreciate that," Anna grumbled, wrinkling her nose. "The gardeners are usually pretty grumpy."

Sera laughed. "A lot of the stories you told me this morning involved you destroying various parts of the garden with your antics. That's probably why the gardeners act 'grumpy' around you."

"I never _destroyed _any plants, just _flattened_ them a bit," Anna said indignantly as she stood up, walking over to examine the shady spot Sera had pointed out. She poked at the soil with her toe for a few seconds before declaring, "I think Sera is right. This is a much better spot!"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Anna, how would you know that? You don't know anything about plants."

"I know, but Sera does!" Anna cried. She turned back to look at Sera. "How do you know so much about plants, anyway? Did your parents teach you?"

Sera shook her head. "I never really knew my parents. I was raised by…a family friend. She loved gardening." Sera smiled, her eyes becoming unfocused as she stared down at her dirt-smeared hands. "She taught me a lot."

Abruptly, Sera stood and walked over to the tea tray. She swiped a pastry from the plate, flopped onto the cushions of one of the nearby wrought iron chairs, and bit into the pastry. Jelly squirted across the front of her shirt.

"Oh crap," Sera said, looking down at her jelly-splattered tunic. "I didn't know there were ones with filling. I got it all over this nice shirt you lent me. Shit."

Anna snickered and Sera's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my god, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to swear in front of royalty—"

The clatter of hooves striking stone rang through the garden and Sera was suddenly knocked from her chair by a giant, furry blur.

"Sven, stop! Get off her!" Kristoff hurried into the garden and hauled on the reindeer's harness. Sven, heedless of Kristoff's efforts, continued licking Sera's shirt until he had cleaned it of jelly.

"I am so sorry," Kristoff said as he pushed Sven out of the way. He reached down to help Sera to her feet. "He only recently got introduced to jelly and he likes it a lot so he freaks out whenever—"

Kristoff stopped, staring at the woman he had just helped up from the ground. "Wait. Who are you?"

Sera opened her mouth to introduce herself but was cut off as she was again knocked to the ground, this time by a small white blob crashing into her shins.

"Okay, I definitely have enough new bruises now," Sera said with a groan. She raised her head to find a tiny snowman grinning at her and fiercely hugging her shins.

"Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

Sera blinked rapidly at Olaf's smiling face. She slowly pushed herself onto her elbows, looking at the snowman with a curious expression. After a moment she sat up fully, offering Olaf her hand. "Nice to meet you, Olaf. I'm Sera."

Olaf looked at the woman's hand, confused, and then wrapped his twiggy arms around it.

Anna giggled. "Um, Olaf, you're supposed to shake someone's hand when you meet them."

Olaf snuggled his face against Sera's hand. "But why would I do that when I can hug it? Hugs are so much better!"

"Not that this hug isn't fantastic, Olaf, but my hand is getting a little cold," Sera said. The snowman released her hand and Sera stood up, brushing her pants to dislodge the snowflakes Olaf's snow cloud had dropped on her legs.

"Okay, so, you're Olaf and you like hugs," Sera said, pointing to the snowman, who nodded vigorously. "And the reindeer is Sven." Sven looked up from the plate, jelly and pastry covering his face, and brayed at her. "And he likes jelly. A lot."

"And this is Kristoff, the Royal Ice Master and Deliverer and my boyfriend!" Anna ran up to Kristoff and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Kristoff, this is Sera. Elsa and I saved her from drowning yesterday."

"Well, that was nice of you," Kristoff said to Anna, hugging her tightly before he shook Sera's hand. "Sera, I've got to say, you're remarkably calm for someone who just got attacked by a reindeer and hugged by a talking snowman."

Sera laughed and shrugged. "I've gotten thrown and kicked by horses before so a charging reindeer isn't anything I can't handle. And I've heard rumors about Elsa's powers, so I figured the whole talking snowman thing was related to that."

"Oh, Elsa, speaking of your powers," Kirstoff said, turning to the queen. "Could you give me a hand with my ice shipment? Sven and I got delayed on the way here and the ice is too melted to unload. I would appreciate it if you could refreeze it a bit."

"Of course, Kristoff." Elsa got up, dusting the grass from her dress.

"Sera and I are coming, too!" Anna yelled, grabbing Sera's wrist and pulling her in the direction of the castle's courtyard.

"Ow! Anna, I have a bruise there!"

Kristoff smiled at the two women rushing from the garden. "After you," he said, bowing to Elsa and sweeping his arm out in front of him. Elsa chuckled and walked to the veranda, Kristoff close behind her.

Olaf clambered onto Sven's back as the reindeer followed Kristoff and Elsa out of the garden. The snowman grabbed Sven's antlers, bending over the reindeer's face to look, upside down, into his eyes. "I like Sera! Can we keep her, please?"

Sven snorted his approval and nodded enthusiastically, almost dislodging the snowman from his antlers.

"Hooray!" Olaf shouted as situated himself on Sven's back, bouncing happily .


	6. Chapter 6 - Tactics of Escape

**A/N: If you've been following this story and the existence of this chapter is confusing to you, please see the author's note at the beginning of chapter 13.**

* * *

Elsa stood alone in the dark library, the only source of light in the room coming from the candlesticks arrayed on the table behind her. One of the candles flickered out and the queen frowned, tilting her book at an awkward angle to catch more of the remaining light. When the pages were again illuminated enough to read, her finger resumed skimming down the page as she absent-mindedly chewed on her lower lip.

"Hey," a voice said softly.

Panic jolted through Elsa's body and she took an involuntary step backwards, her heel catching on the edge of the rug. She threw out her arms as she tumbled toward the floor, flinging her book across the room as she flailed for something to support her. Her hand came in contact with someone's shoulder and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her torso, halting her fall.

Breathing heavily, Elsa looked up at the person who had caught her. "Sera! You scared me."

"Sorry," Sera whispered. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Elsa opened her mouth to respond but found herself unable to speak, heat rising in her cheeks as she realized that she was still leaning backwards with Sera's arms encircling her waist.

Sera's eyes flicked from Elsa's blushing face to the arms she had around the queen. "Oh! Sorry." Sera hurriedly guided Elsa back onto her feet.

Elsa said nothing for several long seconds, gaping at the other woman.

Sera took a step backwards, tucking her hands behind her back. "Anna had to do something she needed to do so she said it was all right if I explored the castle a bit. I was curious about what was in this room but I can definitely leave if I'm disturbing you."

"Sera, you…" Elsa gasped, still unable to get her vocal chords to cooperate.

Sera nodded. "Okay, I'll just leave. And, again, I'm sorry for scaring you and for…well, I'm sorry if I upset you."

The woman turned to leave and Elsa finally found her voice. "Sera, wait."

Elsa took a deep breath as Sera paused and looked back at her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted so rudely."

"I don't think your reaction was rude," Sera said, giving the queen a small smile. "I think it was rude of me to startle you. But, anyway, I can leave if you want me to."

"No, Sera, you don't need to leave. I came here a few hours ago to find some old trade proposals but I got distracted. So I'm not doing anything important and you're certainly not interrupting anything. And—" She stopped and sighed, her lips pressing into a thin line. "And I'm sorry if I made this awkward. Like Anna said I…I can be kind of 'bad with people.'"

Sera shook her head and grinned at the queen. "Well, whatever Anna says, I think you're doing all right at the moment."

Elsa was immensely thankful that the darkness was there to hide her blush.

Sera's gaze dropped from the flustered queen and landed on the book Elsa had thrown across the room. She walked over and lifted the book from the floor, angling the cover so its silver letters glinted in the candlelight.

"_Cinderella_," Sera read aloud. Confusion flitted across her face and she looked up at Elsa. "Were they a general or something?"

Elsa blinked at her. "What?"

"Cinderella. Were they a famous officer or did they participate in an important battle or why is there a book about them?"

"Cinderella isn't a military officer, she's character in a fairy tale," Elsa said. Sera gave her a blank look and Elsa tried again. "You know, the children's story. Evil step sisters, a fairy godmother, a pumpkin turning into a coach, the glass slipper…"

A bewildered expression appeared on Sera's face. "There are books about things like that?"

"Yes," Elsa said, regarding Sera curiously. "There are books about all kinds of different things besides famous battles and generals."

Sera stared at Elsa for a few seconds, a smile slowly breaking across her face. "All of the books I've ever read were about things like military strategy, hand-to-hand combat, and well-known battles." She shook her head, looking down at the book in her hands in amazement. "I guess it never occurred to me that there could be books about other things."

Sera opened the book and flipped through the pages, letting out a joyful cry when she found one with an illustration.

"_Cinderella's godmother turns a pumpkin into a coach_," Sera read from the caption. She glanced up at Elsa with a huge grin on her face. "This is amazing. Are there…are there other books like this?"

Elsa couldn't help but smile at the woman's gleeful expression. "Yes. This library has lots of books with fairy tales, as well as books on many other subjects. Here, I'll show you."

Sera eagerly followed Elsa through the library as the queen pointed to various shelves. "Over here is where most of the other fairy tales are. And these shelves are mostly books on the sciences. The books along the back wall are mostly trade records, so you can probably just ignore those…"

"Whoa," Sera said after Elsa had finished her tour of the library, her eyes still wide with amazement. "This is…this is just…this is so exciting! Thank you for showing me this, Elsa."

"No problem. I'm just really surprised that you've only read books on such a narrow topic."

Sera shrugged. "I didn't have access to a library like this when I was growing up. The books I did read were brought to me from somewhere else so I had no control over what I read."

"It's really too bad you didn't get to read fairy tales as a child. I absolutely loved them when I was younger," Elsa said, studying Sera closely as the woman continued to stare at the bookshelves. "But you're more than welcome to read them now, or anything else in the library."

Sera turned to Elsa, her mouth hanging open. "Really?"

"Of course," Elsa said, smiling at Sera's enthusiasm. "I should really go to bed now but you're welcome to stay here as long as you wish."

"Thank you. I really appreciate this!" Sera called as she practically bounded down the aisle between two bookshelves.

Elsa laughed softly, shaking her head as she left the library and made her way upstairs.

* * *

Elsa walked through the hallway toward Anna's bedroom just as the light from the sunrise began to filter into the quiet corridor. The queen paused outside of her sister's room, holding her breath to hear Anna's soft snores. Smiling, she placed a hand on the door for a few seconds before continuing down the hallway. She came to a stop outside of the guest room Sera had been using, surprised to find its door wide open. Elsa took a cautious step into the room and glanced around; the blankets on the bed were undisturbed and there was no sign of anyone had been here recently.

The queen chewed thoughtfully on her lip for a moment before heading toward the stairs. Upon reaching the first floor she directed her steps to the library, pushing open the door to find Sera still inside. The woman was sitting on one of the couches, surrounded by stacks of books, with one knee pulled up near her chest to prop up the book she was currently reading. Her right sleeve was pulled up around her hand and she gnawed absent-mindedly on the fabric as she read.

"Uh, hi," Elsa said, still standing mostly in the hallway with her hand clutching the door knob.

Sera's eyes flicked toward the door. "Hey," she said, giving the queen a rather tired smile.

Elsa stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, surveying the books arrayed haphazardly around Sera. "Did you really stay up all night reading?"

"Umm…"Sera looked toward the window and saw the soft dawn light peeking around the drawn curtains. "Yes?"

Elsa raised a hand to her mouth to hide her small smile. "I'm glad you enjoyed the library so much. Did you read anything good?"

"Yes! These books are amazing," Sera breathed, setting the volume in her hands beside her on the couch. "I almost can't believe it. These books are just bundles paper covered in ink, but somehow they become doorways into entirely new realities. I can learn facts about the world that I never could have guessed, information about Astronomy and Anatomy and all the other sciences. I can learn about how the world is shaped and how it works. But then…" Sera jumped up, weaving through the piles of books around her to stand in front of one of the bookshelves. She reached out and gently ran her hand along the spines of several books. "But then these same materials, paper and ink, can also show me romance, drama, tragedy, comedy. They can show me new worlds, introduce me to new people, and tell me new stories. It's just mind-blowing!"

Sera turned to Elsa, a shy grin on her face. "I'm actually slightly jealous that you had all of these books, all of these _universes_, to grow up in."

"Having these books was wonderful at times, yes." Elsa's smile faltered and she looked down at the floor. "But my childhood was nothing to be jealous of."

Sera remained silent as Elsa moved to sit on the couch, hugging her arms close to her chest. "My childhood was…lonely. I loved reading, but I also used these books as a way to escape that loneliness." She sighed and rubbed her temples. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you this."

Sera shrugged. "Probably because it's really early in the morning and you're not thinking very clearly yet." She caught the queen's eye and winked.

Elsa smiled sadly, her eyes becoming unfocused as she stared at the carpet. "You're probably right."

After a moment Sera walked over to sit on the couch across from Elsa. "Tell you what, let's make it even. You told me something about your childhood so now you can ask me a question about mine."

Elsa nodded and was silent for a few seconds while she thought. "Okay. What did you use to escape as a child?"

"You're assuming I had something I need to escape from," Sera said, her voice soft.

Elsa quickly looked away, flushing slightly. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to assume—"

"No, Elsa, it's fine. I just meant…" Sera shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't know what I meant, actually. But, anyway, when I needed to escape as a child…hmm." She looked down at her leg, her finger slowly tracing along the seam of her pants as she smiled. "I went to the woods. I climbed trees, scaled cliffs, swam in lakes, and ran through the hills. And…and I also did a lot of gardening."

Elsa only partially succeeded in stifling her giggle and Sera glanced up at her with an indignant expression.

"Hey! Don't judge me too harshly," Sera said, obviously fighting back a grin.

Elsa brought a hand to her mouth, trying to a hide a smile of her own. "I'm sorry. I wasn't judging you, I promise. I just wasn't expecting gardening to be at the end of that list."

"Okay, fair enough," Sera said, laughing softly. Her gaze slipped from Elsa's face and danced around the library, flitting from the stacks of books surrounding them to the bookshelves lining the walls. "Running around in the forest worked well enough as an escape. But I think I really missed out in not having books to use as well."

"My childhood probably could have used a bit of running around the forest." Elsa let out a short laugh and was startled by the bitterness in it.

"Well, just like I didn't have a library to use, not every kid had a forest they could run around in. But your childhood probably would've been much better if you'd have done more gardening."

Elsa shook her head at Sera's grinning face before glancing down at the book sitting on the couch between them. She picked it up and ran her fingers over the looping, silver letters that spelled out _Cinderella_. "So did you like this story?"

Sera chuckled. "I didn't actually finish it. I barely got five pages in before I got distracted by something else. That's how most of my night went, actually. As soon as I got a few pages into one book I saw another one out of the corner of my eye that I just _had _to read." Sera closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose. "And I want to keep reading now but my eyes are too tired to focus on the words."

"Maybe that's a sign that you should go to bed."

"But how can I sleep when there are so many books to read?" Sera wailed, draping herself melodramatically across the back of the couch.

Elsa rolled her eyes at Sera and then bit down on her lower lip, looking down at the book in her lap as she considered her next words. "I…I could read to you," she said softly. The queen felt Sera's gaze on her and she blushed. "O-only if you want me to. But you probably don't so I shouldn't have offered. I'm sorry, we were having a nice conversation and now I've made it awkward. I should just leave—"

Elsa broke off as Sera leaned forward and extended her hand, her fingers coming to rest lightly on the cover of _Cinderella_. Their hands didn't touch, but Elsa somehow felt reassured by the gesture.

"I would love it if you read to me," Sera said gently.

Elsa cleared her throat, her blush burning even more fiercely on her cheeks. "So…should I start from the beginning?"

Sera nodded and Elsa opened the book to the first page, tilting it so Sera could see the beautifully illuminated letter that began the story. Sera gasped and shifted closer to get a better look as Elsa began to read.

Twenty minutes later, Elsa abruptly stopped reading as Sera's head dropped onto her shoulder. The queen tensed, slowly turning her head to look into the woman's sleeping face. She carefully closed the book and lowered it into her lap, still watching Sera out of the corner of her eye.

Sera's head suddenly rolled forward and she jerked awake. "Hmm, what? What happened? Did Cinderella eat the pumpkin slippers yet?" She rubbed her eyes, blinking sleepily at Elsa. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Elsa quickly looked away from Sera, ducking her head in embarrassment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare. It's just…what you did just now, it reminded me of Anna when she was younger."

"How so?"

"She loved it when I read aloud to her," Elsa said, smiling at the memory. "Anna always asked me to read to her before we went to bed but she was usually so tired that she would fall asleep with her head on my shoulder or lap after only a few sentences. I knew that would happen but I always agreed to read to her anyway."

Sera turned so she was sitting sideways on the couch, crossing her legs beneath her. "It sounds like Anna was really lucky to have you as an old sister."

Elsa's smile faded, her lips pressing into a tight line. "No," she said, shaking her head. "I was a terrible older sister. I kept myself isolated from almost everyone, even Anna. Especially Anna."

"Is it all right if I ask why?"

Elsa looked down at the book in her lap, running her finger along the edge of the cover. "My parents were afraid—_I_ was afraid that my powers would hurt Anna. So I stayed away from her. I was doing what I thought was best for her, but sometimes I think—" Elsa stopped, clenching her jaw as she felt tears prick her eyes.

Sera stood up, her eyes fixed on the bookshelves against the far wall. "Even if you have some regrets about your past relationship with your sister, you two seem pretty close now. And maybe if you had done things differently your relationship would be different. But you do have one with her now, and that's something. It might not be perfect or even ideal, but it is something."

There was a moment of silence before Sera stretched and yawned loudly. "Speaking of your sister, I think I'm I might try to get an hour or two of sleep before she gets up."

"You could probably get four or five. Anna's a late sleeper."

Sera laughed and turned back to the queen. "Oh, good. I don't know what adventure Anna has planned for me today but I'm sure it'll be easier to face with more sleep. Thank you for letting me use your library. And for reading to me. I know I feel asleep pretty quickly but I did appreciate it." She performed an exaggerated bow and moved toward the door.

"Sera," Elsa said quietly. The woman stopped and glanced back at her. "Thank you for talking with me."

Sera nodded, flashing the queen another brilliant smile before leaving the room.


	7. Chapter 7 - Dancing Through Fear

**A/N: If you've been following this story and the existence of this chapter is confusing to you, please see the author's note at the beginning of chapter 13.**

* * *

Elsa paused outside the door of the dining room, listening to the voices inside.

"And then the blizzard suddenly cleared and I could see Kristoff standing about a hundred feet away. I started running toward him but then I saw Hans standing over Elsa, his sword raised. And Elsa had no idea he was behind her! Obviously, I couldn't just abandon my sister so I ran to Elsa instead and put my hand up right as I turned to solid ice, stopping Hans's sword…"

"Dammit, Anna." Elsa whispered, feeling ice prick her fingertips. She stepped away from the door, clenching her hands as her breathing quickened and frost swirled around her fists. "Why would you tell Sera about that? She's going to—"

Elsa breath caught and she leaned her head against the wall. She took several deep breaths, forcing down her powers and her panic. Squaring her shoulders, the queen walked to the door and opened it, striding inside in time to hear Anna finish her story.

"And then I punched Hans in the face, which was probably one of the most satisfying things I've ever done. Except for hugging Elsa for the first time in thirteen years, that was even better!"

Sera and Kristoff, who were seated across the table from Anna, chuckled at the princess's enthusiasm.

"So, Sera, now you know what _really _happened in Arendelle two months ago," Anna said, beaming at the other woman.

"Thank you for enlightening me, Anna," Sera said with a smile. Looking over Anna's shoulder, Sera waved at the approaching queen. "Hey, Elsa."

Anna spun around in her chair, grinning when she saw her sister. "Elsa!" she cried, jumping up to wrap Elsa in a hug.

Elsa stiffly returned the embrace. "Hello, Anna."

Feeling Elsa's reluctance to engage in the hug, Anna pulled back from her sister. "Is everything okay?"

The queen forced her face into a tight smile. "Yes, Anna, everything is fine."

"Oh…okay," Anna said, giving Elsa a worried glance before returning to her seat.

Elsa sat down next to her sister and began serving herself from the food-laden plates in the center of the table, doing her best to hide the fact that her hands were trembling. The only sound in the dining room for several minutes was the clink of silverware against their plates.

Elsa cleared her throat. "So," she said, doing her best to sound cheerful. The look on Anna's face told she had not succeeded, but Sera and Kristoff thankfully didn't react. "What have you all been up to this morning?"

Sera and Kristoff both opened their mouths but were immediately shushed by Anna, who began waving her arms in their direction.

"Shh, no don't tell her," Anna said as she ran around the table. She crouched between Sera's and Kristoff's chairs and the three of them huddled together, whispering fiercely.

A minute later they broke apart, all of them grinning as Anna darted back to her seat.

"What was that about?" Elsa asked, setting down her fork as apprehension rose in her chest. "What are you up to?"

Anna squirmed excitedly in her chair. "You'll see! Just come to the ballroom in about two hours, okay?"

"Okay, Anna, I will," Elsa promised, nervousness settling into a tight knot in her stomach as everyone returned their attention to their food.

* * *

Elsa stood outside the ballroom door, her hand hovering just above the ornate door handle. Conversation filtered through the wood, the echoes of the large room making it impossible for her to comprehend any of the words, but she could distinguish happy laughter. Breathing deeply, she opened the door and cautiously stepped into the room.

"Like a chicken with the face of a monkey!" Anna yelled, circling a laughing Sera as she flailed and leapt about. Kristoff and Olaf were standing off to the side, watching the proceedings with amusement.

"Did he really say that?" Sera asked, giving Anna an incredulous look.

"Yes, he did," Elsa said. She blushed as everyone in the room turned to look at her. "I-I mean, assuming you're talking about the Duke of Weselton dancing at my coronation and I was there for that so—well, obviously I was there, it was _my_ coronation, but anyway, if that's what you're talking about then yes, that is actually what he said."

"Thanks for the confirmation, Elsa," Anna said, giving the queen an encouraging smile.

Elsa opened her mouth to thank her sister but was cut off as Olaf crashed into her shins and sent her stumbling backwards.

"Hi, Elsa!" Olaf shouted, fastening his arms around one of Elsa's legs.

"Olaf, you really need to work on how you greet people," Sera chided, shaking her head.

The snowman released the startled queen and spun around to look at Sera. "What do you mean?"

"She means that people like hugs but they don't like getting knocked over, silly!" Anna said, moving toward her sister. "You should do it more gently. Like this, see?" She stepped around the snowman and wrapped Elsa in a hug.

Elsa barely had time to react to her sister's embrace before Anna pulled away.

"So…" Anna began, gently taking Elsa's hand. "I noticed that you seemed upset at lunch today and I wanted to do something to help you feel a little better."

Elsa felt a lump rise in her throat. "Thank you, Anna. But you really didn't need to do anything for me, I'm—"

Anna waved her hand. "Please don't tell me you're not upset, Elsa. I know something is bothering you so please don't deny it. I won't make you talk about it if you don't want to but will you at least let me try to help you feel better?"

After a few seconds Elsa nodded and squeezed her sister's hand.

"Hooray!" Anna cried, darting forward to plant a kiss on Elsa's cheek. She released her sister's hand and ran back to stand near Sera. "So, this morning I was telling Sera and Kristoff about that time Father wanted me to take dance lessons and how awful I was at it. While I was telling the story Kai walked into the room and asked Sera and Kristoff if they knew how to dance. They said they didn't so Kai showed us the basic steps of the waltz. We practiced all morning and I wanted to show you what we've gotten down so far. So, without further ado…" Anna bowed to Sera and offered the woman her arm. "May I have this dance?"

"Of course, my lady," Sera said, bowing before putting her hand over Anna's. "I would be honored."

Anna giggled as she placed a hand on Sera's waist. "Would you care to help me start the music, Lady Sera?"

"Again, of course, Princess Anna," Sera said with a grin.

The two of them suddenly burst into song, belting out a series of notes that could only very generously be called a waltz. It took them several seconds to agree on the rhythm for their tune and then they began to dance, stepping lightly across the ballroom floor.

Elsa smiled as she watched Anna lead Sera through several wide loops around the room, both of them still singing along to their waltz. She turned to look at Kristoff as the man walked over to stand next to her. "Wow. They're pretty good for only having learned this morning."

Kristoff laughed. "Yeah, they are. And I'm amazed that Anna can stay upright long enough to dance for any amount of time."

They looked back at the two women swirling around the room just in time to see Anna stumble and fall toward the floor. Sera quickly caught her and set Anna back on her feet, adjusting their hands so she was now was leading the dance.

"Or maybe it's just Sera that keeps her upright," Kristoff said, chuckling.

"Daaaa dummm!" Sera and Anna finished at the same time, breaking apart to bow at each other.

Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf clapped as Anna ran over to the group.

"Oh, that was wonderful!" Olaf said as he gently hugged Anna's leg. "Did I do it right this time?"

"Yes, Olaf, thank you." Anna smiled at the snowman and bent down to give him a proper hug.

"You're dancing was very impressive, Anna. That was surprisingly not-clumsy for you," Elsa said, smirking at her sister.

Anna stood and stuck her tongue out at Elsa. "I can be graceful sometimes!"

"I don't know if I believe you," Sera said as she walked over to join the group. "I think the only reason you didn't fall was because I was there to make sure you stayed upright."

"No, I can dance and not fall over! I'll prove it," Anna declared. She seized Kristoff's arm and yanked him to the center of the ballroom. "Come on, Kristoff, we're going to dance. Sera, help me with the music!"

Sera shook her head but obliged the princess, singing out a waltz as Anna arranged Kristoff's hands. The two clumsily began to dance around the room and Anna tripped almost immediately. Kristoff caught her and swept her into the air, twirling around in a circle before setting her back on the ground.

"Okay, so maybe staying upright isn't something I'm very good at," Anna said, giggling as she and Kristoff fell back into step. "But I'm good at picking dance partners who can catch me!"

"Whatever works for you, Anna," Sera said, chuckling as she shook her head.

"Hey, Sera, why aren't you dancing with Elsa?" Anna called, craning her neck around to look at Sera as she and Kristoff continued to circle around the room. She rolled her eyes when the two women gave her blank looks. "Yes, you two. You should be dancing. Sera knows how to lead, so she can do that if you're not comfortable with it, Elsa."

Elsa felt something tighten in her chest as cold air rushed through her fingers. She kept her eyes carefully trained on her sister to avoid looking at the woman next to her. "I'd really rather not, Anna."

"But, Elsa, I'm sure Sera would love to dance with you!" Olaf said, jumping up and down excitedly. "It will be so—"

"Olaf, stop," Sera said firmly. She had stopped singing and her eyes were darting quickly between the two sisters. "It's really not necessary for me to dance with Elsa."

"Oh come on, I know it will help her feel better," Anna said, steering Kristoff closer to the two women. "It'll be fun, just relax."

Anna pulled away from Kristoff and shoved Sera's shoulder, sending the woman tumbling into Elsa. The queen gasped as Sera fell against her, instinctively grabbing her arms to stop her fall.

It took Sera only a second to regain her footing and she immediately jumped backwards, tearing her arms from Elsa's hands.

Elsa looked into Sera's shocked face and the tightness in her chest became a weight, squeezing the breath from her lungs and making it nearly impossible to inhale.

"I-I'm sorry, I…" Elsa gasped as she staggered toward the door, fighting to keep back her tears.

Anna reached out a hand toward her sister. "Elsa—"

"No!" Elsa cried, shrinking back against the door. Frost bloomed across the wood behind her as she groped for the door knob, encasing the metal handle in ice as she threw open the door and fled down the hallway.

* * *

The queen leaned her head back against her bedroom door, listening for any noise from the hallway. Anna had sat on the other side of the door for hours, pleading with her to come out so she could explain and apologize. A few minutes ago she had started beatingher fists against the wood and Kristoff had dragged her away, her sobs echoing through the hallway. Since then silence had reigned on the second floor of the castle, ringing loudly in Elsa's ears as she quietly wept, cursing herself for not opening the door.

Elsa let her head fall forward onto her chest, roughly brushing the tears from her eyes. She couldn't give up yet. There was still a chance for her to fix it. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the door handle and pulled herself to her feet. She stepped into the hallway and squared her shoulders, walking purposefully toward Anna's bedroom.

"Anna," Elsa called as she opened the door to her sister's room. "Anna, I'm—"

Her words died in her throat as she realized the bedroom was empty. The sight of the dark, cold room pierced through the courage that had urged her down the hallway, shriveling into nothingness and leaving her feeling empty and utterly deflated. She fell against the doorframe, gripping the wood tightly and forcing herself to breath evenly.

"No," Elsa whispered under her breath. "No, I can't give up. I need to go find Anna. I need to find her and apologize."

The queen pushed off from the doorframe and started determinedly toward the stairs. Reaching the first floor, she paused, unsure of where to begin her search. She looked up as the soft murmur of voices echoed down the hallway and candlelight slowly inched around the corner of an intersecting corridor.

The door of the nearest room stood ajar and Elsa darted through the opening, suddenly terrified by the prospect of interacting with anyone but her sister. She closed the door and leaned her back against it, trying to breathe as quietly as possible as the voices in the hallway grew louder.

"Anna, I really think you should just go to bed. She obviously doesn't want to talk to you right now." Elsa heard Kristoff's muffled voice through the wood.

There was a sigh, followed by Anna's voice. "I know, Kristoff. I just feel so bad. I was trying to make her happier and all I did was make her run away. I just need to explain to her what I meant—"

"Anna," Kristoff said warningly. "I really think you should give her space, at least for tonight. If you keep pushing her, even if it's to apologize, you're only going to make her run again."

"I know, Kristoff. I just feel so bad about this…"

The queen urged her muscles to move, to open the door and run to her sister, but found herself unable to act. Anna's voice faded into silence. Elsa's legs suddenly gave way and she slid down the door, hanging her head as tears trickle down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Anna," Elsa whispered, burying her face in her hands. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's all my fault and I'm so, so sorry."

"Elsa?" a voice called from further back in the room.

The queen tensed. "W-who's there?"

"It's Sera," the woman said. She moved cautiously toward the queen but stopped immediately when Elsa flinched. The moonlight streaming through a nearby window cast shadows across the woman's face that made her expression difficult to read, but the concern in her voice was evident when she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, Sera, I'm fine," Elsa said, her voice hoarse as she fought back more tears.

"You don't seem all right, Elsa. But if you don't want to talk about it, I understand. I'll leave if you want to be alone."

"I-I think I'd like you t-to leave," Elsa stammered.

Sera nodded slowly. "Okay. There's just, um, just one problem."

"I told you I don't want to talk about it!" Elsa said fiercely.

"I know, Elsa, and I'm not going to make you talk about it," Sera said gently, holding her hands up with her palms facing Elsa. "It's just if you want me to leave…well, you're kind of sitting in front of the door."

Elsa sniffled. "Oh right."

Sera gave her an encouraging smile. "Leaving is going to be a little tricky until you move. But if you don't want to move, I can just go hide in a corner or something if you need space."

Elsa pulled her sleeve around her hand and wiped away the wet streaks her tears had left on her face. "No, you don't need to do that. But thank you." She sighed. "Actually, if you don't mind, I should probably to talk to you."

"Sure," Sera said, kneeling down on the floor.

"I…I want to apologize for earlier," Elsa said, forcing her eyes up to Sera's face. "For when Anna told you to dance with me, I mean. She never should have put you in that position and I definitely shouldn't have run away afterwards. Neither Anna nor I handled the situation well so I apologize on behalf of both of us."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Elsa." Sera shook her head and chuckled. "I was actually going to apologize to you for what happened."

"What would you have to apologize for?"

"I wanted to apologize for letting Anna put you in that situation and for not stopping it sooner."

"You don't need to apologize for my sister asking you to dance with me. I shouldn't have reacted so strongly to the request. And I didn't mean for my reaction to imply that I wouldn't want to dance with you. I'm sure dancing with you would be really nice and, uh, I mean, I would like to dance with you at some point, maybe, but—" Elsa broke off, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "But not under these circumstances."

"It's okay," Sera said. "You don't need to explain, Elsa. I understand."

"You…you do?"

"Well, I think I understand at least part of it. I've noticed that you're not exactly comfortable with human interaction or physical contact. You seem…afraid of being around people, especially when it involves touching. It seems like you're most at ease with Anna, but even with her you're really tense. You never initiate physical affection with her and when she does, you always seem surprised and have to sort of force yourself to respond appropriately. So, I understand why you might not want to dance with someone you just met three days ago."

"You must think I'm an awful sister."

Sera shook her head. "No, not at all. It's obvious that you love her a lot. It shows, just not through physical affection. I can tell you're very protective of her but scared to touch her at the same time. But it's not because you're afraid of her. The way you hold yourself, the way you avoid touching others unless it's absolutely necessary, it makes it seem like you're afraid of yourself."

Elsa laughed sadly. "You're very observant. And yes, that's part of why I didn't want to dance with you earlier, but it's not all of it."

Sera nodded, waiting in silence as Elsa exhaled slowly.

"I thought that…that after Anna told you what happened two months ago that you would be afraid to be around me. That you would be disgusted by and terrified of someone who almost killed her sister and endangered her entire kingdom. I thought you wouldn't want to touch me. I was afraid that you would…be afraid of me."

"No, not at all, Elsa. When Anna told me that story, she explained how you only reacted the way you did because you were scared and stressed. You never meant any harm to anyone, least of all to Anna. So, no, I'm not afraid of you, Elsa. Because…because I understand what it's like."

"You understand what?"

Sera clenched her jaw and looked down at the floor. "I understand what it's like to be afraid of yourself," she said softly.

After a moment, Sera seemed to shake herself and stood abruptly. "But now that you know I'm not afraid of you…" She took a step forward, offering the queen her hand. "Would you like to have that dance?"

Elsa stared at the outstretched hand for a few seconds, her heart racing. Her eyes flicked up to Sera's face and she saw the moonlight shining on the woman's eyes, clearly illuminating the kind patience they held. Elsa tentatively extended her hand, pressing it lightly against Sera's.

Sera gently pulled the queen to her feet and guided her to the center of the room. "Is it all right if I lead?"

Elsa nodded, turning to face the other woman and setting a trembling hand on her shoulder. Sera raised their clasped hands and gently placed her free hand on Elsa's waist, making the queen shiver slightly.

"Ready?" Sera asked.

"Yes."

Sera began to hum the tune she and Anna had used for their earlier waltz. After a few seconds she began to dance, leading Elsa in slow, wide circles around the room.

They danced quietly for a moment before Sera let her humming die away. "I hope I'm doing all right," she said, smiling shyly. "I'm not very good yet, but Anna said I'm a better dancer than the Duke of Weselton. Although, based on what she told me about his dancing, I don't think that was much of a compliment."

Elsa laughed softly. "You're doing very well. Especially for someone who just started learning this morning."

"Do you want see the best thing I learned?"

"Okay—oh!" Elsa cried out in surprise as Sera dipped her towards the ground. After a few seconds Sera pulled her back onto her feet and they stood close together, no longer dancing.

"That was…unexpected," Elsa said, looking up into Sera's eyes. "But fun."

Sera grinned and winked at her.

Heat rushed to Elsa's cheeks and she lowered her head to Sera's shoulder, smiling as she tried to hide her blush. They held this pose for several seconds before Elsa slid her hand down from Sera's shoulder to rest in the crook of the woman's elbow. She slowly lowered their extended arms and removed her hand from Sera's, slipping it onto the small of her back. After a moment, Sera hesitantly placed her hand on Elsa's hip.

The queen felt a shiver run through her as Sera's hand came up to rest on her waist, but she didn't tense or pull away. After a few seconds, Elsa suddenly became conscious of Sera's warm breath rushing over her ear and the back of her neck flushed. Her grip on Sera's arm tightened and she inhaled sharply.

Sera lifted her hands from Elsa's waist and took half a step away from the queen. "You okay?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine," Elsa said, raising her head to meet Sera's eyes. "I think…I think I'm just tired. I should probably go to bed."

"Okay. Thank you, Elsa, for dancing with me." Sera took a full step backwards and bowed deeply.

"And thank you, Sera," Elsa said, laughing softly.

Sera straightened and walked over to open the door, gesturing for the queen to exit before her. "After you."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I know how to open doors, Sera. But thank you." She stepped out of the room and into the hallway, Sera following close behind her.

"I'm not quite ready to sleep yet so I think I'll go to the library for a bit," Sera said after she had closed the door.

"All right. Don't stay up too late," Elsa chided, trying not to smile.

Sera snorted and shook her head, turning to walk down the hallway. She paused outside the door of the library and looked back at the queen. "Good night, Elsa."

"To you as well, Sera."

Sera shot her one last grin before slipping inside the library.

Elsa leaned against the wall, closing her eyes and sighing happily. She started as something wet touched her nose and she opened her eyes to find a small flurry of snowflakes drifting down from the ceiling. Smiling, the queen watched the snow drift lazily through the air for a moment before shaking her head, but didn't dissolve her snowy cloud until she had reached the top of the stairs.


	8. Chapter 8 - A Mysterious Gardener

"Elsa?"

The queen turned at the sound of her sister's voice. Anna stood at the other end of the hallway, staring at the ground, her lower lip trembling.

Elsa hurried over to stand in front of her sister. "Anna, is everything okay?"

Anna bit down hard on her lip, still refusing to meet Elsa's eyes. "I…I wanted to a-apologize for yesterday—"

Elsa took the final step toward her sister and placed a hand on her cheek, raising Anna's face so their eyes met. Anna started at the contact but didn't pull away.

"It's okay, Anna," Elsa said, stroking her sister's face with her thumb. "I know you were only trying to cheer me up."

Tears pooled at the corners of Anna's eyes. "I was but I'm sorry it went so badly. And I'm sorry if what I did made Sera mad at you and I promise I'll never do anything like it ever again—"

Anna's words stopped as she choked back a sob and tears began slipping down her face.

"Anna, no, it's okay," Elsa said softly, bringing her other hand up to wipe away Anna's tears. "I talked to Sera about it and everything's fine."

"I just…I just feel so bad, Elsa. I feel like every time I try to help you I only make things worse. You'd think eventually I'd figure out that nothing I ever do is helpful for you but I'm too stupid to—"

Elsa pulled her sister toward her, wrapping her arms around the sobbing girl. "No, Anna, no. You're not stupid and I appreciate everything you do to try and help me. And no matter what happens, I will always love you. Always."

"So, you're not mad at me?"

"No, I'm not. I promise."

Anna sniffled and smiled up at her sister. "Oh, good. And I'm glad you worked things out with Sera."

"Me, too." Elsa cleared her throat, hoping her sister wouldn't notice the slight blush on her cheeks. "Are you going to be okay? I was going to catch up on some reading in the library but I can stay with you if you need."

Anna shook her head. "No, I'll be okay. I was just about to go meet Sera and Kristoff for lunch. You're welcome to join us if you want."

"No, there's some work I really need to catch up on. I've arranged with Gerda to have lunch brought to me in the library. So, I'll see you later."

Anna nodded, giving her sister another hug before heading down the hallway.

* * *

Elsa sat with her back to the door, curled up on one of the library's plush couches. A half-finished bowl of stew and a small chunk of bread sat on a tray on a nearby table. The queen sighed happily, closing her eyes and resting her head against the back of the couch.

The door of the library flew open and banged against the wall. Elsa jumped, nearly throwing her book in the air as Anna rushed into the room.

"Elsa!" Anna shouted, her face distraught. "Sera just told me something terrible."

Elsa tensed at her sister's words but relaxed when she saw the smile in Anna's eyes. "Anna, this barging in and frightening me when I'm trying to concentrate better not become a regular thing."

The princess threw her hands in the air, ignoring her sister's reprimands. "Elsa, you're not listening to me. Sera just told me the worst thing ever."

Anna ran to the couch and grabbed the book Elsa was holding, tossing it to the floor. She took Elsa's hands and spoke over the queen's indignant protests. "At lunch I was telling Sera a story about how we used to build snowmen when we were younger and she told me…" She grabbed Elsa's face and looked directly into her eyes. "Sera told me that she has never built a snowman."

Elsa snorted and took her sister's hands from her face. "Really, Anna? _This_ is the great tragedy?"

"Elsa, how can you be so calm about this?" Anna waved her arms in the air, gesturing wildly before throwing herself on top of the queen. "This is terrible!"

Elsa grunted, pushing her sister off of her.

Anna rolled off the couch and lay sprawled on the rug, giving her sister a pleading look. "Elsa, pleeaaassseee," she whined.

Elsa rolled her eyes and made an exasperated noise. "All right, Anna. But what exactly do you want me to do?"

Anna's entire face brightened as she leapt up from the rug. "Do you want to build a snowman?" she asked gleefully.

Elsa tapped a finger on her chin, pretending to mull over Anna's question.

"Ellsssaaa."

"Okay, fine," Elsa said, laughing as her sister danced joyfully about the room.

"Come on," Anna said, running over to grip her sister's forearms. "Sera and Kristoff are already waiting for us in the garden.

* * *

"We're here!" Anna called as she sprinted into the garden, Elsa following her at a more measured pace.

Kristoff and Sera were sitting in the grass, watching with amused expressions as Olaf chased Sven through the garden, trying to retrieve the carrot the reindeer held in his mouth.

"Hi, Elsa," Sera said with a smile. Kristoff waved to the queen and stood to wrap Anna in a hug.

Anna embraced Kristoff tightly for a moment before running to a pile of winter clothes in the center of the garden. She quickly distributed jackets, hats, boots, and mittens while Kristoff convinced Sven to return Olaf's nose.

Once everyone was properly outfitted, Anna bounced over to Elsa, singing, "Do the magic, do the magic!"

Elsa smiled at her sister, took a deep breath, and cupped her hands together. A small, shimmering, icy-blue ball appeared between her palms and she threw it into the air. Twenty feet above the ground, it burst into a flurry of snowflakes.

Anna squealed and danced about the garden as snow began to coat the ground. She closed her eyes and spun around, laughing joyfully.

Elsa grinned and flicked her fingers to create a giant, fluffy snow pile directly in the path of her twirling sister. Anna yelped in surprise as she smashed into the pile, flopping over the top and rolling down the other side.

"Thanks, Elsa!" Anna giggled, now covered in snow from head to toe. Kristoff, smiling at his girlfriend's antics, walked over to offer her a hand to help her up. Anna grabbed Kristoff's arm and pulled him down in the snow next to her, immediately trying to stuff snow down his shirt.

Elsa laughed softly as she watched Kristoff struggle to escape Anna's snowy wrath. She turned to look at Sera, who was still sitting on the ground, giving her a look that contained no small amount of awe. Sera's expression broke into a smile when she met Elsa's eyes and the queen flushed slightly, moving to sit next to the other woman.

Sera leaned back on her elbows and happily surveyed the scene around her. Sven was prancing around the garden, trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue. Kristoff, having managed to fend off Anna's attempt to put snow in his clothes, was now tickling Anna as she flailed around in the snow pile. Olaf sat on top of the large mound, throwing handfuls of powder onto Kristoff and Anna.

"This is amazing," Sera said, glancing back at Elsa.

Elsa felt her blush deepen. "Thank you."

A comfortable silence settled between them and both women looked at the sky, watching the snowflakes drift on the wind. Sera closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. A snowflake landed on her nose and she started, falling onto her back. Elsa giggled and Sera flashed her a smile.

"The head gardener came to see me this morning," Elsa said as Sera wiped the melted snow from her nose.

"Did he now?" Sera took off one of her gloves and caught a snowflake on the back of her hand, watching as it melted against her warm skin.

"Yes, and he was quite upset. Apparently someone replanted the lilies of the valley this morning."

"Really? How fascinating," Sera said, suppressing a smile as she watched another snowflake land on her hand.

"Yes, indeed it is." Elsa struggled not to laugh. "I thought you would be interested to know that this mysterious gardener replanted them in the exact area you recommended yesterday."

"I tip my hat to this rogue gardener, then, that's an excellent spot."

"So you wouldn't know anything about the lilies being replanted?"

"No, your majesty."

"And that's not dirt under your fingernails?"

"Of course not, your majesty." Sera grinned at her as she pulled her glove back onto her hand. "I hope that's okay," she said, her face falling into a more serious expression as she propped herself up on her elbows. "I'm sure this mysterious gardener would not want to do anything to tarnish the memories those plants hold."

"No, I do not think this cryptic gardener intended any harm. I think they meant only to give the lilies of the valley a more comfortable home and a chance to flourish. I believe this will do much to preserve the memories they contain. And for that," Elsa said, her voice catching in her throat as she looked down at Sera's face, "I find myself deeply grateful to this mysterious gardener."

Sera nodded and was about to say something else when a shout brought the attention of both women back to their surroundings. Kristoff yelled again, dodging a snowball that Anna lobbed at him. The battle between the ice harvester and the princess had escalated into a full-blown snowball fight.

Sera winced as Anna nailed Kristoff directly in the face with a well-aimed snowball. "Ouch. I am definitely not upset that I missed out on that part of winter."

Elsa laughed. "A snowball to the face is definitely not one of the greatest part about snow. But there are other, less painful parts of winter. Like building a snowman."

Sera grinned and lowered her head back to the ground. "Anna was pretty upset when I told her I'd never made one of those."

"I'm guessing there wasn't a whole lot of snow in Eskadi?"

"No, not really. Winters are pretty mild there. It doesn't get very cold and hardly ever snows, so this is actually more snow than I've seen in the twenty-one winters I spent in Eskadi."

Elsa nodded slowly, leaning forward to dust the snow from the hem of her skirt. "Sera?" she asked after a few seconds of silence. The queen flushed as Sera's gaze flicked to her face and she had to take a deep breath before she could continue. "I wanted to thank you for talking with me last night. And for…for dancing with me."

Sera smiled broadly and was about to respond when Anna raced towards them, skidding to a stop in front of her.

"We need to build a snowman. Now!" the princess commanded, yanking Sera to her feet.

"Okay, okay, just tell me what to do," Sera said as Anna pulled her over to the giant snow pile.

"Well, first we make a really big snowball to go on the bottom…"

Ten minutes later, Sera and Anna stepped back to examine their creation.

Anna tilted her head, squinting at the snowman. "I think his head is the same size as his butt. But he's pretty good for your first snowman."

Olaf waddled over to the newly made snowman and threw his arms around it. "He's wonderful! I'm sure we'll be the best of friends."

"I'm glad you like him, Olaf," Sera said as she plopped down in the snow between Elsa and Kristoff.

"Oh, I have to give him a name!" Olaf jumped back and walked around his new friend. "Hmm, let's see…"

Kristoff cleared his throat. "Um, Olaf, you know he's not actually ali—"

He was cut off by a snowball smashing into his face. "Hush, Kristoff, don't you dare," Anna scolded as she wiped the snow from her gloves.

Olaf continued circling the snowman, staring at him intently. "I know! I'll name him Sven! No, wait, that won't work, then there would be three Svens and that would be too confusing."

Kristoff sighed as he brushed the snow from his face. "Olaf, my name is not—you know what, never mind," he finished quickly as Anna bent down to retrieve more snow.

"What about…Nikolas! No, that's not right. Kevin! No, that's not it either." Olaf gasped. "I know! Aaron! His name is Aaron!"

Olaf clapped his hands and gave Aaron the Snowman another hug. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun! We're going to be the best of friends, Aaron!"

"Olaf…" Anna said, a worried look on her face.

"Aaron and Olaf, explorers of Arendelle and best buddies, giving warm hugs wherever they go!"

"Olaf—"

"This is going to be so great, Aaron, old buddy, old pal. You're the best, Aar—mmf". Olaf staggered backwards as Anna shoved snow in his mouth.

"Olaf, stop saying that name!" Anna yelled as she hurried over to Sera. "Sera, are you okay?"

Sera was breathing heavily, her face completely drained of color, staring at the ground with unfocused eyes.

Olaf swallowed the snow that was blocking his mouth. "What, you mean the name Aaron? What's wrong with the name A—mmf".

"Olaf, stop it!" Kristoff said as he stuffed more snow in the snowman's face.

Anna crouched down in front of Sera, gently placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Sera, are you okay? Sera?"

Sera didn't seem to hear Anna at all. The woman's eyes remained fixed on the ground, her breathing becoming ragged as her hands began to shake.

Anna stood, carefully pulling Sera up with her. "Come on," the princess said softly. "Let's get you back to your room."

Elsa remained sitting in the snow, stunned, as Anna guided Sera towards the veranda. After a few seconds, Elsa was able to rouse herself and got to her feet to follow the two women. She extended a hand to touch Sera's back but stopped as a sob wrenched from the woman's throat. The queen froze, unable to move until Sera and Anna were out of sight. Clenching her jaw, Elsa flicked her wrist to dissipate the snow covering the garden before hurrying away.

Olaf watched the three women walk into the castle and then turned to Kristoff, who was still seated on the ground. "If I eat snow, does that make me a cannibal?"

Kristoff blinked slowly at the snowman as he stood up and brushed the grass from his pants. "Olaf, don't ask me questions like that. Please."

* * *

Elsa frowned into her soup. Anna was late for lunch, an occurrence that was rare enough to cause the queen a fair amount of stress.

Noticing her expression from his place across the table, Kristoff lowered his spoon. "Elsa, I'm sure Anna's fine. That girl wouldn't miss a meal for anything. She'll be here soon."

Elsa bit her lip, watching as her soup began to freeze over.

The door of the dining room opened and Elsa looked up to see her sister enter the room, a distant expression on her face. Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, Anna, you're finally here."

"I'm sorry if I worried you," Anna said as she walked to the table. She sat in a chair next to Kristoff, who pushed a steaming bowl of soup in her direction.

Anna picked up her spoon and poked at her food for a moment before asking, "Have either of you seen Sera today?"

Elsa and Kristoff both shook their heads and Anna frowned. "I haven't seen her since I brought her to her room yesterday afternoon. And Gerda asked all the servants, no one's seen her since last night."

Anna looked up at Elsa, worry etched across her brow. "Sera's gone."

Elsa broke eye contact with her sister, lowering her gaze to stare down into her bowl. She let her spoon drop from her fingers and it clinked softly against the frozen surface of her soup.


	9. Chapter 9 - Just Fine Being Alone

The door of the study opened and Elsa's shoulders tensed.

"Kai, if this is another question about preparations for the ball, tell whoever is asking that I don't care," the queen said without looking up from the papers she was reading. "I don't want to answer any more questions. If you really need an answer, here are a few options: beige, peanuts, roses, pigeons. I don't care, so please just leave me alone."

There was a giggle from the doorway and Elsa glanced up to see Anna walking into the room. Elsa sighed and leaned her elbows against the desk, propping her head against her hands. "Oh thank god it's you and not Kai."

Anna giggled again and skipped over to the desk to kiss the top of her sister's head. "You seem a little stressed."

"Ugh, more than a little. This ball is for Arendelle's primary trade partners, the ones who helped us the most after the majority of our crops and livestock died two months ago. It's just a small event to show Arendelle's appreciation for its closest allies. But it's still so much work!" Elsa groaned and let her head fall onto the desk.

"The ball is only four days away and you're doing an amazing job with the preparations," Anna said as she wrapped her arms around her sister's slumped form. "I know everything will be perfect no matter what, so try not to worry too much."

"I know it will all work out in the end. The problem is that it's going to take a lot of effort to get there," Elsa said as Anna released her from the hug. The queen smiled up at her sister. "But I appreciate the encouragement.

"I'm glad I could provide encouragement! But I actually came to tell you that I'm about to leave. Kristoff said I could go with him on his ice harvesting trip."

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Anna," Elsa said quietly.

"Why not? Are you worried about me missing the ball? Kristoff knows about that and he promised to have me back here before then."

Elsa sighed and pressed her fingers lightly against her temples. "No, Anna, that's not why you can't go."

"Then why not?"

"Anna, can you please just trust me when I say it would be better for you to stay here?"

Anna leaned over the desk and grasped her sister's wrists, causing the queen to flinch. "No, Elsa, I want you to tell me why I can't go."

Elsa shook her head but couldn't bring herself to meet Anna's eyes.

"Elsa," Anna said, her grip on her sister's wrist tightening as the queen tried to pull away. "You're hiding something from me."

"Anna, please—"

"No, Elsa! You promised. You promised that you wouldn't hide things from me anymore."

Elsa's head shot up and she fixed her sister with a stony glare. "I'm not hiding anything from you. I'm trying to protect you!"

Anna made a disgusted noise and pushed away from her sister. "I don't need your protection, Elsa. I need you to trust me, to stop shutting me out!"

Elsa's hands slammed down on her desk, sending a burst of frost exploding through the air. "You want to know why you can't go, Anna? Fine! You can't leave with Kristoff because someone has threatened Arendelle. Someone has threatened to kill us both if I don't surrender my throne. That's why you need to stay here."

Anna stared at her sister, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. After a few seconds, her mouth snapped shut and she ground her teeth, breathing heavily. "How long have you known about this threat, Elsa?"

"For about a week and a half."

"You've known about this for a week and a half," Anna began, her voice cold and even. "And you are _just now_ telling me about it?"

"I didn't tell you because you didn't need to know. This is something I can handle on my own."

"Elsa, what the _fuck_ is wrong with you? This is not something you should handle on your own. This affects both of us and it's something we should be working on _together_."

"Anna, I told you, I can handle it by myself. I was—"

Elsa stopped as Anna, threw up her arms, her face contorted in a mixture of hurt and rage. "No, Elsa, don't bother. I can see that you don't want my help. You're probably afraid that if you ask me to help you I'll just mess everything up, just like I always do. So I'm going to get out of your way. I'm going to leave with Kristoff until the ball so you'll have plenty of space to do exactly what you need to do without me getting in the way."

There was a soft knock on the door and Kai slowly opened the door. "Your majesty, Princess. Is everything all right?"

"Yes, Kai," Anna said stiffly. "Everything's fine." She gave Elsa one last furious look and walked out of the study, slamming the door behind her.

Elsa sat down heavily in her chair, pressing her palms against her eyes, her chest heaving. After a moment she looked up at the servant, who was still regarding the door with a stunned look. "Was there something you needed, Kai?" she snapped.

Kai turned to the queen and bowed, his face carefully set in a neutral mask. "I came to inform you that Commander Bristin has returned to the castle and is ready to meet with you to discuss matters of security for the ball."

Elsa closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. "Thank you, Kai. Tell the Commander to meet me in the ballroom in ten minutes."

The servant bowed and turned back to the door.

"Wait, Kai," Elsa called and the servant paused. "I'm sorry for speaking to you so harshly, Kai, I just—"

Kai looked back at the queen and waved a hand. "It's all right, your majesty. But I should return to the Commander if he is to make it to your meeting on time."

"Kai, before you go...have you made any headway on the matter I asked you to investigate?"

The servant shook his head sadly. "I do have something to report but I do not think it's what you want to hear, your majesty. Sera returned to town three days after leaving the castle, but retreated to the forest before any of the servants or guards could talk to her. In the two days since then, no one has so much as seen her."

"Thank you, Kai," Elsa whispered as the servant left the room. She dropped her head against the backrest of her chair and closed her eyes, struggling desperately to hold back her tears.

* * *

"Anna, for the last time, get back here!" Kristoff yelled as Anna slid to the edge of the frozen lake. He leaned against his saw and wiped his brow before turning to look at his girlfriend. "Please don't wander off. Elsa had that Bristin guy lecture me while I was packing up the sleigh and she'll kill me if anything happens to you."

"Oh come on, Kristoff, I'm just walking along the edge of the lake," Anna whined. She spun to face Kristoff but immediately had to look down at her feet as she struggled to keep her balance. "I'm not going to do anything stupid."

"You say that, but for some reason I really don't believe you," Kristoff said, rolling his eyes.

Anna looked up at her boyfriend, crossing her arms and sticking her tongue out at him. The movements upset her balance and she fell backwards, sliding across the ice to land head-first in a snow bank.

Kristoff shook his head. "See what I mean? Now get back over here."

Anna squirmed out of the snow bank, glaring at Kristoff as she wiped snow from her face and clothes. "I'm not _that _much of a klutz."

Kristoff watched as Anna struggled to her feet. She gave him a triumphant grin when she managed to stand fully upright before promptly falling on her butt.

"Ow, Anna said, rubbing her backside. "Ugh, fine, I'll be back over there in a second."

"Good," Kristoff said, returning his attention to his work.

Anna huffed angrily, watching as Kristoff sawed away at the ice. She glanced quickly at the nearby snow bank and then back at Kristoff. Seeing that he was now totally absorbed with his ice harvesting, Anna scooted quickly to the edge of the lake and clambered up the snow bank. She peeked over her shoulder at her boyfriend, shooting him an angry look before wriggling over the snow bank, scrambling to her feet, and hurrying into the trees.

* * *

"Stupid Kristoff, he thinks I can't handle myself," Anna mumbled under her breath as she stomped through the snow. "He's just as bad as Elsa. Neither of them think I'm good at anything! They just see me as poor, clumsy, little Anna, as someone who needs to be constantly protected and babied. But I can totally look after myself. I've been out here by myself all day and I've been just fine!"

Wind rattled through the trees, startling Anna out of her angry thoughts and causing her to glance at her surroundings for the first time in hours. Darkness was creeping around the trees and snow was beginning to swirl through the air.

"I've been out here all day…by myself…" Anna said, her voice echoing through the empty forest. She felt panic seize her chest and her breath quickened. "No, it'll be fine. I can just…follow my tracks back to the lake. Yes! I'll follow my—"

A gust of wind blew through the trees, sweeping snow over her footprints. Anna shivered in the cold wind as the snow began to fall more heavily. "Okay…or maybe not…"

She rubbed her hands furiously against her arms, trying to banish the cold and panic that were stealing through her body. "Okay…okay, everything's going to be fine. I can just walk in the direction my footprints were leading."

Anna looked down. The snow around her was a smooth blanket without even an indent to indicate where her footprints had been. "I can't really see them anymore…but it's okay, because I know I came from this direction! Err, at least I think I did…"

An hour later, Anna was trembling uncontrollably, now completely lost. She stumbled blindly through the dark woods, wincing as twigs slapped against her face.

"Okay, I have no idea where I am. But it's fine, of course it's just fine," Anna said, laughing nervously. "Because…because Kristoff will find me, yes, he'll find me and everything will be oka—"

Anna's voice rose into a scream as the snow beneath her feet gave way, sending her tumbling down a hill. She drew her arms around her head as she careened down the slope, smashing into tree trunks and rocks as she fell. She gasped as she felt something tear at her side but before she had time to register pain, she slammed into a fallen log, her head cracking against the hard bark.

Anna moaned as her entire body shuddered. She felt a twinge along her right side and gingerly brought her hand to the throbbing spot, hissing through clenched teeth as her fingers grazed torn skin. Her vision wobbled as she looked down, watching as blood seeped through the material of her jacket.

"Oh, shit," Anna slurred, bringing her bloodied hand to her pounding head. "Shit…" she whispered as she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Anna mumbled softly, reveling in the intense warmth that surrounded her, and nuzzled her face deeper into the furs that were tucked under her chin. She flinched as the blankets covering her were pulled away and cold seeped into her body.

"Sorry, I know it's cold. Hang on," a voice said. There was a whooshing noise and Anna sighed contentedly as a wave of heat washed over her. A pair of hands pressed against her injured side and she winced, trying to pull away from the touch.

"Anna, try not to move. I know it hurts but I need to check the stitches."

Anna went rigid, doing her best to remain still as the hands gently examined her wound. After a moment the hands pulled away and Anna felt the blankets being placed carefully back over her.

"Everything looks fine. Just try not to move too much."

Anna opened her eyes, squinting as the bright light of a fire hit her eyes. Momentarily blinded, she blinked rapidly, trying to erase the echoes of the light from her eyes. She attempted to push herself up onto her elbow but a hand gripped her shoulder, gently guiding her back down to the furs. As the spots before her eyes faded, Anna saw a head of short, scruffy, light-brown hair and a pair of pale green eyes.

"Sera!" Anna screamed in delight and threw her arms around the woman, inhaling sharply as she felt a painful pull in her side.

"See, Anna, there's a reason I told you not to move," Sera said as she pushed Anna back into the blankets. When she was certain that Anna wouldn't try to move again, Sera rose to her feet and moved to the other side of the enclosure. She pulled a water skin from her pack and returned to Anna's side.

Sera helped Anna sit up, bracing the princess against her shoulder to prevent any strain on Anna's injured muscles. After Anna was finished, Sera carefully lowered her back onto the blankets and replaced the skin in her bag. Anna giggled as Sera came back to sit cross-legged next to her.

"What's so funny?" Sera asked.

"I was taking care of you just over a week ago," Anna said, smiling. "So it's funny because now you're taking care of me."

Sera raised an eyebrow. "I can't tell if you thinking that's funny means you're okay or that you hit your head harder than I thought."

Anna stuck out her tongue at the other woman. "It's funny, I promise!"

"Whatever you say, Anna. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I think," Anna said. "My head feels awful, my side stings a lot, and my entire body aches but otherwise I think I'm all right."

"Is that all?" Sera said, laughing softly. "I'm glad you're doing okay. You looked pretty rough when I found you. Do you remember what happened?"

Anna scrunched up her face in concentration, trying to sort through her hazy thoughts. "I was with Kristoff but I wandered off and got lost. Then while I was trying to get back I fell down a hill. I think that's how I hurt myself."

Sera nodded. "I found you unconscious, curled up against a log. You've got a nasty cut on your right side and you'll probably have a pretty big bruise on your forehead but I think you'll make it."

"Oh good," Anna said, smiling up at Sera. "Did you say earlier that I had stitches in my side? Did you put those there? How do you know how to do stuff like that?"

"Well, now I know you're feeling better if you can rattle off questions like that." Sera laughed and then tilted her head toward Anna's injury. "I did have to put a few stitches on your cut. I did my best to clean it so it shouldn't get infected and I made an herb compress that should help it heal faster."

"Thanks," Anna said. "But you didn't say _how_ you know these things."

"The woman who raised me taught me how to treat injuries as soon as I was old enough to do so," Sera said, grinning. "I fell out of trees a lot as a kid, so she got tired of stitching me up pretty quickly."

"Wait, you mean you _literally_ had to stitch yourself up? As in stitch your own cuts?"

"Yep."

"Ewwww, that's gross!"

"It was a little weird at first but I got used to it."

"I can't imagine doing that too myself."

Sera shrugged. "It was either that or have an open cut." She gathered a small glass bottle, a needle, and some bandages from the ground near Anna and stood to put them in her pack.

Anna watched as Sera packed away her things. "Where did you get all this stuff?"

"Mostly through trade and barter. I chopped wood for a farmer, he gave me materials for traps. I trapped a few rabbits and traded them for a bow and a full quiver, used those bring down a deer and exchanged that for a pack and water skin. And then I just kept going from there."

"Wait, you _also_ know how to hunt?"

"Yeah. I lived in a fairly uninhabited area growing up and hunters would pass through every once in a while. We would give them a meal and a place to spend the night and in return they would teach me some of their skills."

"When you say 'we,' who exactly do you mean?"

Sera sighed, pulling an arrow out of the nearby quiver to run her fingers over the fletching. "'We' was me and the woman who raised me."

"The family friend? The one who taught you about gardening and putting stitches in yourself?"

"Yeah," Sera said, taping the head of the arrow against the ground.

"What was her name?" Anna asked, studying the other woman's face carefully.

"Kadira," Sera said with a small smile. After a few seconds she shook herself and picked up her bow and quiver. She replaced the arrow in her quiver and slipped it over her shoulder, moving toward the opening of the tent. "I need to go get us breakfast. It shouldn't take too long but try to get some rest while I'm out."

"Okay," Anna said as she snuggled back into her blankets. "I'll just stay here with this wonderfully warm fire."

Anna looked sleepily at the fire, then did a double take and gasped. "Um, Sera, can I ask you one more thing before you go?"

"Sure, Anna."

"Uh, so, there's no wood underneath that fire. How is it burning?"


	10. Chapter 10 - Promises and Flames

"And over here, your majesty, I was hoping we could hang the blue banners…"

Elsa let the decorator's words slide through her ears, no longer making an effort to comprehend them. She had to fight the urge to freeze the fabric samples as the decorator once again waved them in her face.

"…so I was thinking of adding white accents to the courtyard decorations here so they will match the table settings inside. But only by your leave of course, your majesty. Your majesty?"

"What? Oh, yes, of course, white accents. Perfect," Elsa muttered, distracted by a clacking sound that was steadily filling the courtyard. "That sounds like Kristoff's sleigh, but they're not supposed to be back until tomorrow…"

"I'm sorry, your majesty, I did not catch that. Did you want to add sleighs to the ball decorations?" the decorator shot Elsa a questioning look.

"What? No, of course not. The white accents are fine. Now, if you'll excuse me." Elsa nodded to the decorator and began walking toward the stables.

"Of course, your majesty," the decorator said, bowing and gathering up his fabric samples before hurrying back into the castle.

The sleigh clattered into the courtyard, the noise of the sled's runners and Sven's hooves on the cobblestones barely drowning out the sounds of Anna and Kristoff's argument.

"Kristoff, stop it, I'm _fine_."

"I hope you've learned that you should actually _listen _to Elsa and me when we tell you—"

"Kristoff, _I get it._ Stop nagging me!"

Elsa smiled at the couple as she approached the sleigh. "What mischief did Anna—oh my god, Anna, what happened? Why is there blood all over your clothes?"

The queen ran to her sister's side, taking her arm as she stepped from the sleigh. "Anna, what happened? Are you all right?"

"Dammit you two, I'm fine!" Anna yelled, stamping her foot and shaking Elsa's hands off her arm. "Ow, that hurt." Anna winced and gingerly brought her hand to her side.

"Anna, you need to lie down before you hurt yourself even more," Kristoff said. He put an arm carefully around her shoulders and began guiding her towards the castle.

"Kristoff, don't touch me. I can walk by myself!" Anna glared at Kristoff and took several steps forward before falling to one knee.

"Anna!" Elsa and Kristoff both yelled, rushing over to Anna and kneeling down next to her.

"Maybe I can't walk quite yet," Anna mumbled as dropped her head against Kristoff's shoulder. "Still a little light-headed I guess…"

Kristoff gathered Anna in his arms and lifted her from the ground.

"Let's get her to her room," Elsa said, running ahead of Kristoff to open the main doors to the castle. "Kristoff, what happened to her?"

Kristoff glanced at Elsa nervously, adjusting his hold on Anna. "She wandered away while I was distracted by my ice harvesting. I'm sorry, Elsa, I should have watched her more closely."

Elsa sighed, hurrying down the hallway alongside Kristoff as Anna began to snore. "We can talk about that later Kristoff, just please tell me what happened."

"Like I said, Anna left the lake while I was distracted. I searched for her but I had to stop around midnight when a storm started up. I started looking for her again just before sunrise and ran into Sera a few hours later. She was taking Anna back to the ice harvesting camp."

Elsa froze in front of Anna's bedroom, her hand halfway to the door handle. "You…you found Sera?"

Kristoff nodded, brushing past Elsa to push open the door. "Yeah, Sera said she'd found Anna, bruised and bloodied, right before the storm started. She took Anna back to her camp and patched her up before heading out to find the ice harvester camp in the morning. Could you help me out here?" Kristoff jerked his head toward the bed and looked back at Elsa, who was still standing in the doorway.

"What? Oh, yes, hang on." Elsa hurried to Anna's bed and pulled back the covers. Kristoff gently lowered Anna into the bed and Elsa pulled the blankets over her sister, pausing to kiss her softly on the forehead.

Elsa stepped back to stand next to Kristoff and they watched as Anna rolled over, already beginning to tangle herself in her sheets.

"I think she'll be okay," Kristoff said, glancing toward Elsa. "Sera told me Anna banged her head pretty badly and got a nasty cut on her side, but other than that she just has a few bruises. And Sera said she stitched up Anna's cut and it looked like it would heal well."

Elsa nodded. "I'm glad Anna's okay. And…and I'm glad Sera found her."

"Yeah, me too," Kristoff said, sighing as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Did…did Sera say if she would be coming back?" Elsa asked, keeping her eyes fixed on the sleeping form of her sister.

"I tried to convince her to come back with us on the sleigh. But she said she had some things to take care of."

Elsa felt her stomach drop and she struggled to keep her disappointment from her face.

Kristoff turned to Elsa, giving her a small smile. "But I made her promise to come back to the castle later today. So she should be here soon."

* * *

The queen fidgeted in her chair, idly flicking through a report on the current state of Arendelle's domestic trade. She was meeting with the master of Arendelle's Merchant Guild tomorrow to review this document but she was having trouble focusing. All she could think about was how the sun was going down and Sera hadn't shown up at the castle yet.

There was a knock at the door of the study and Elsa jumped. "Come in," she said, trying to make it look like she was fully absorbed in the report.

"Your majesty," Kai said as he stepped into the room and bowed. "Miss Sera requests an audience with you."

Elsa's heart fluttered against her ribcage. "I, um…she's here, right now?"

"Indeed, your majesty," Kai said as he stepped to the side, revealing Sera standing behind him. "She is, in fact, right behind me."

"Oh! H-hello, Sera…I-I…" Elsa stammered as she felt heat rising in her cheeks.

Sera kept her eyes on Kai as she stepped into the room. "Thank you, Kai," Sera said, nodding to the servant.

Kai bowed and exited the study, closing the door behind him.

After a moment, Sera walked further into the room, looking at everything except for Elsa. She stopped several feet in front of the desk while Elsa remained in her chair, unable to get herself to move.

"Hey," Sera said after a moment of strained silence. She rubbed her arm nervously and brought her eyes up to meet Elsa's for a second before looking quickly away. "Um…yeah, hi."

"Hello, Sera," Elsa said softly.

A blush started to form on Sera's cheeks, barely visible in the candlelight. "I, um, I'm sorry about how I…you know, just sort of…left the other day," Sera said, clasping her hands behind her back and staring at the corner of Elsa's desk. "I just…had to…leave…and, well, yeah."

Elsa was startled to see tears glinting in the corners of Sera's eyes.

"Sera, it's okay," Elsa said, rising quickly and moving around to the front of the desk. She paused a foot away from the other woman, suddenly unsure of herself. "It's all right. You don't need to explain yourself. I'm just glad you're back," Elsa said softly, her lips twitching upwards into a smile.

Sera looked up, meeting Elsa's eyes with a grateful expression. "I am, too."

Elsa took half a step forward. "I…how are you? A-and thank you for rescuing Anna."

"Oh yeah, that," Sera said, grinning sheepishly. "I'm just glad I found her before…you know, and, um, I guess I just figured I'd make it even. You saved me so I felt like I should save Anna. Oh, wait, I mean, not that I _wouldn't _have saved Anna if you _hadn't _saved me, I mean, well, I guess I wouldn't have because I would've been dead but anyway I care about Anna and I'm not a terrible person so I saved her and, um…"

Sera bit her lip, her eyes fixed on the rug. "I-I'm sorry, I should go. I just wanted to see if Anna was doing all right."

She turned to leave but Elsa stepped forward, surprising them both by placing a hand on the other woman's arm. Sera looked down at the hand on her bicep then up at Elsa's face, which was only a few inches away from her own.

"Stay. Please," the queen whispered. She cleared her throat and said in a louder voice, "I-I mean, you just saved my sister and the least I can do is offer you a room for the night…assuming you don't already have somewhere else to sleep."

Sera shook her head, her eyes still locked with Elsa's. "No. I've been sleeping under the stars for the past week, so a bed would be a nice change." She smiled, reaching up to clasp her hand over Elsa's and squeezing it tightly.

Elsa smiled back at her, warmth spreading through her chest. Her hand slipped from Sera's arm but their fingers stayed together, lingering in each other's touch as they lowered their hands. Elsa's gaze followed their hands down but Sera kept her eyes on Elsa's face, watching her closely. When their arms were fully extended, Sera turned her hand and lightly brushed her palm lightly against Elsa's, causing the queen to inhale sharply. Elsa looked up to meet Sera's eyes, slowly moving her fingers to interlock with Sera's.

"Princess Anna, what are you doing?" a muffled voice came from the hallway, followed by a squeak of surprise and a solid thud.

"Kai, shhh, go away, it's fine," Anna hissed from the hallway.

Elsa and Sera leapt apart as the door swung open to reveal a flustered Anna lying sprawled across the floor and a bemused Kai standing over her.

"I apologize for interrupting, your majesty, Miss Sera, but I thought you would like to know that Princess Anna has left her bed despite her injuries," Kai said, stepping over Anna and into the room to bow.

Anna tugged at Kai's pant leg. "No, Kai, stop it, we can just leave."

"Anna," Elsa said, hoping the blush on her cheeks wasn't too visible. "What exactly were you doing outside the door of my study?"

"I was uh, um, doing, um, nothing!" The princess scrambled to her feet, wincing as she strained her injured side. "I obviously was not spying on you and Sera, I would never do that. Wait, what?"

Sera laughed and rolled her eyes. "Of course you weren't, Anna. You were obviously in bed this entire time, exactly where you were supposed to be."

"Yes, right! That's where I was, err, _am_ now," Anna yelled as she ran down the hallway and up the stairs to her room. "Ow!"

Sera shook her head and hurried after the princess. "Anna, that cut is never going to heal if you keep doing stuff like this."

Elsa smiled as Sera's chidings faded up the staircase. "Kai," she said, turning to the servant. "Would you please prepare a room for—"

"Gerda took the liberty of preparing the guest room Miss Sera used previously as soon as she appeared at the castle gates. And I have already deposited her things in said room."

"Oh. Thank you, Kai. I appreciate your foresight."

Kai gave the queen a broad smile and a deep bow. "Good night, your majesty," he said as he left the study.

Elsa sighed happily, turning back to her desk to organize her papers one final time before heading to bed.

"Oh," Elsa said, bringing her hand to her mouth in surprise. Her desk and everything on it was covered in a fine layer of fluffy snow. Elsa giggled, flicking her fingers to dissipate the snow before walking into the hallway and up to her room.

Elsa paused at the top of the stairs to watch Sera step from Anna's room and shut the door quietly behind her.

"Hey, again," Sera said, padding quietly down the hallway to the queen.

"Hello," Elsa said, then giggled. "Well, actually, more of good night, I guess."

Sera smiled and gently took Elsa's hand for a few seconds before moving towards the guest room.

"Oh, and Elsa," Sera said, turning back to the queen before she entered her room. "You're snowing again." She winked at Elsa and stepped through the doorway.

Elsa blushed and waved her fingers to dissipate the snow falling on her shoulders. She walked towards her room, another snow cloud appearing over her head as she passed Sera's door.

* * *

"Thank you for meeting with me, your majesty," the master of Arendelle's Merchants Guild rose from her chair and bowed deeply.

"Yes, and thank you for taking the time to create that report on Arendelle's domestic trade. It was very enlightening," Elsa said, smiling pleasantly.

"Of course, your majesty. I will do my best to get reports to you monthly."

"I would appreciate that greatly," Elsa said as she walked the Guild Master to the door of the study.

Kai greeted them in the hallway, bowing to them both. "Please follow me, Guild Master, and I will escort you out. And Queen Elsa, Princess Anna and Miss Sera request your presence in the garden."

"Thank you, Kai. And good day to you, Guild Master." Elsa turned and headed toward the garden, suppressing her smile until she was out of the Guild Master's sight.

* * *

Elsa practically ran through the castle, startling several servants as she hurried to meet Sera and her sister. She forced herself to slow to a walk when she reached the covered walkway that bordered the garden. A smile broke out across her features as she caught sight of the two women sitting beneath a tree, pausing when she noticed Sera had her shirt pulled up to her shoulders.

"Um, hi," Elsa said cautiously. Anna and Sera both turned to look at her.

"Hi, Elsa!" Anna made as if to rise but Sera let go of her shirt to grab Anna's arm.

"Anna, don't. You're going to break your stitches if you're not careful," Sera said, glaring at Anna and pulling her back to the ground.

"Ugh, fine." Anna slumped her shoulders and pouted. "But finish telling me the story!"

Sera laughed and lifted her shirt again while Elsa slowly made her way over to the two women.

"It's nice to see that most of your bruises are healed, Sera," Elsa said as she lowered herself into the grass and Sera smiled at her. "But is there a reason you have your shirt half-way off?"

"Sera's telling me the stories behind some of her scars. She was just explaining how she got that one." Anna said, pointing to a thin line that ran along the bottom of Sera's ribs.

"That one, hmm." Sera paused, staring at the scar. "Oh, right, I remember now. That one was from falling out of a tree."

"That's what you said about the last one as well!" Anna huffed.

Sera laughed at Anna's indignant expression. "I told you, I fell out of a lot of trees growing up."

"Okay, well, show me one that's not from a tree."

Sera pulled her shirt back down to her waist and reached up to brush her hair from her forehead. "This one is from falling while I was climbing up a cliff. I whacked my head on a rock on the way down."

"Ooo, cool," Anna said, leaning forward to inspect the thin, raised line that started in the middle of Sera's right eyebrow and ran up into her hairline. "How about another non-tree one?"

Sera pulled up her left sleeve and turned her arm so her palm was facing up. "See this?" Sera said, tracing her finger along several jagged, white lines on her forearm. "I tried to take on a wild boar by myself one time."

"Wow. How did that go?" Anna asked as she felt the rough lines on Sera's arm.

"Not very well. I shot him with a few arrows and he got me with his tusks a few times on this arm and tore up my right thigh pretty badly. So I got away all right but it's not something I would recommend trying."

"I'll keep that in mind," Anna said, grinning up at Sera. She looked down at Sera's arm again and pointed to a light-red, diamond shape in the middle of Sera's left palm. "What about this one?"

"I actually don't know the story behind that one," Sera said as Anna continued inspecting her palm. "I think I've always had it, or at least I can't remember not having it. I have no idea if it's even a scar. It could be a birthmark."

"Huh, that's weird. Wait!" Anna cried, gripping Sera's hand tightly. "Sera, did you tell Elsa yet?"

"No, I didn't have a chance. You interrupted last night before I could," Sera said, idly picking at a leaf with her free hand.

"Oh, right," Anna said, rolling her eyes. "_That's _what I interrupted last ni—"

"Anna!" Sera flicked the leaf at her.

"Fine, but tell her now!"

"Tell me what?" Elsa asked, looking at Sera worriedly. "Is something wrong, Sera?"

"No, no, everything's fine, I just, err—"

"Sera can control fire the same way you can control ice and snow!" Anna yelled, throwing her arms in the air and falling into Elsa's lap.

Elsa looked down at her sister's face, completely bewildered. "What?"

"Anna, I thought you wanted _me _to tell her," Sera said, laughing as she tossed another leaf at Anna.

"Well, you were taking too long." Anna rolled out of her sister's lap and scooted back over to Sera. "Come on, show her!"

"Okay, fine, but stop moving so much. I don't want to have to re-do your stitches," Sera chided as she stood up and took several steps away from the sisters.

Sera raised her left hand, palm facing up, and grinned shyly at Elsa. "Ready?"

"Oh come on, just do it already!" Anna said. She lifted her arms to start gesturing wildly but froze when Sera fixed her with a warning look.

Sera breathed deeply. "Here we go," she said and looked down at her open palm. A single flame flickered to life an inch above her hand.

"Whoa!" Anna said, rising to stand next to Sera and extending her hand towards the flame.

"Anna! Don't touch that, it'll burn you!" Elsa said. She hurried to Anna's side and grabbed her wrist.

"It's actually okay, Elsa," Sera said. "It won't burn you right now."

"Really?" Anna asked. Sera nodded and Anna poked at the flame dancing over Sera's hand. "That's so cool!" Anna shrieked excitedly as she waved her entire hand through the fire. "Elsa, you try it!"

Anna jumped back and shoved her sister, sending her stumbling towards Sera. Elsa caught the woman's shoulder as Sera slipped her right arm around Elsa's waist, pulling her close to stop her fall.

"Hey," Sera said, grinning at Elsa, whose face was only inches away from her own.

Elsa blushed and glanced down at Sera's hand, watching the flame flicker in her palm. She ran her fingers slowly through the fire for a few seconds before looking up at Sera's face.

"It's beautiful," Elsa said, giving the woman a small smile. "How are you doing that?"

"I can control heat and fire," Sera said. She looked down at the flame in her hand and it started to circle and twist above her palm. "I can summon and sustain fire and, if I'm concentrating, I can make it so the fire won't burn or spread unless I want it to. But if I stop focusing on it the fire will act like a normal flame. If it has fuel it will continue burning and it will burn anything or anyone it touches. Including me, if I'm not careful."

Elsa realized she was still holding Sera's shoulder and dropped her hand. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm probably breaking your concentration."

Sera laughed and shook her head, keeping her arm around Elsa's waist. "No, not at all. I've done a lot of training so it takes quite a bit to break my concentration."

All three women watched as the flame leapt from Sera's palm, twirling around her fingers and up her arm. When it reached her shoulder, the flame shot several feet into the air and burst into a brilliant shower of sparks. Elsa gasped and Anna clapped her hands while Sera kept a close eye on the falling sparks, waving her hand to extinguish them before they could touch any of the plants.

"That was so cool, do it again!" Anna jumped up and down and waved her hands in the air.

"Anna!" Sera sighed, removing her hand from Elsa's waist to rush toward the princess. "I told you, you can't do that or you'll break your stitches. See!" Sera pointed to the growing red spot on Anna's shirt.

"Aw, crap. Hey!" Anna cried as Sera pulled at her blouse, exposing the bandages around Anna's wound.

Elsa winced when Sera peeled away the strips of bloodied cloth and uncovered her sister's torn flesh. "Oh, Anna, that looks painful."

"Yep, you broke a stitch," Sera said, tugging Anna's bandages and blouse back in place. "Come on, let's go to my room. I have more first aid supplies there."

"But Elsa and I have barely seen any of the stuff you can do with your powers," Anna protested as Sera prodded her toward the veranda.

"Anna, I can show you more stuff later. Right now we need to fix your stitches."

"Oh, come on, that can wait. I'm fine, I—"

"Anna," Elsa said severely, giving her sister a hard stare.

"Ugh, _fine_," Anna moaned and allowed Sera to guide her out of the garden. "But I'm not going to like it!"

"Don't make this difficult," Sera warned. "This was much easier before when you were unconscious. I _will _knock you out if I have to."

"I think you'd better listen to her, Anna," Elsa said, giggling as she followed the two women into the castle. "She sounds serious."

* * *

**Yep, Sera has magic that lets her control fire. I realize it's slightly cheesy to pair Elsa with someone who has fire powers but I don't really care because I like it and Sera's powers will have a significant role to play in the story.**


	11. Chapter 11 - A Reason to Return

**A/N: If you've been following this story and are confused about why this chapter is now chapter 11 instead of 9, please see the author's note at the beginning of chapter 13 for an explanation!**

* * *

"Elsa!" Olaf squealed as he ran into the study. "Elsa!"

The queen looked up from the papers she was reading and watched as Olaf ran to her desk. Only the top of his head showed over the desk so he had to jump to see the queen over the wooden surface. She smiled as his head bobbed in and out of view. "Yes, Olaf?"

"Anna. Wants. To. Talk. To. You," Olaf said, only able to get out one word with each jump.

"All right, Olaf." Elsa smiled at the snowman as she stood up from her desk. "Is she in her room?"

"Yes!" Olaf said as he grabbed Elsa's hand and pulled her into the hallway.

After a moment of awkwardly stumbling up the steps after Olaf, Elsa found herself outside of Anna's bedroom door. She raised her hand to knock but Olaf pushed his way into the room before her hand touched the wood.

"I found her!" Olaf yelled as he ran into the room. He scrambled on to Anna's bed and bounced across the mattress to sit next to the princess.

"How are you, Anna?" Elsa asked, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her.

"I'm so bored!" Anna cried as she flopped back against her pillows. "After Sera brought me here yesterday she said I had to stay in bed until the ball. How does she expect me to stay in bed for two whole days?"

The queen saw Anna's arms beginning to rise and she walked quickly to her sister's side, pressing Anna's arms firmly against the pillows before she could wave them in the air. Anna gave Elsa an exasperated look before relaxing her arms.

Elsa gave Anna a stern glare before releasing her sister's arms. "Don't blame Sera for this, Anna, it's not her fault. It's yours. What were you thinking, running off into the woods by yourself?"

"Ugh, I don't know!" Anna huffed. Elsa moved to grab her sister's arms again but Anna shook her head. "Don't, Elsa, I promise I won't move my arms so much. I don't know why I ran away. I was just so mad at you for not telling me about that threat and then Kristoff kept nagging me to stay near him and I just got so frustrated."

Elsa looked down, staring at her hands as she slowly wove her fingers together. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about the threat sooner, Anna. It wasn't fair of me to keep you in the dark about it. And you were right when you said this is something we should be facing together."

"It's okay, Elsa," Anna said softly. "Just promise me that you won't ever keep something like this from me again."

Elsa nodded. "I'll try, Anna. I promise I'll try." She sighed as she sat down on the bed next to her sister. "I just wish you had listened to Kristoff when he told you not to wander off. If Sera hadn't found you…you might've…" Elsa trailed off, biting her lip as tears pricked her eyes.

"Elsa, I'm sorry," Anna said, leaning forward carefully to lay her hand over her sister's. "I'm really, really sorry. I just got so angry and I wasn't thinking. I'm so, so sorry I did it…but..."

The princess gave Elsa a tentative smile. "But we probably wouldn't have found Sera again if I hadn't wandered off and injured myself!"

"Anna, I just want you to be safe," Elsa said. She gave her sister a small smile but had to look away as a pang of sadness shot through her. "Even if it meant never seeing Sera again."

Anna squeezed her sister's hand. "I know. I'm sorry I made a stupid decision and I promise the next time I go on a trip with Kristoff I'll stay with him at all times."

"You're not going on any ice harvesting trips, or on any other trips, for quite a while, Anna."

"I know," Anna said, looking down at her blankets. "Sera told me I can't move around so much if I ever want my cut to heal. And I understand if you don't really trust me to leave the castle for a while."

"Aw, that's too bad," Olaf said sadly. He had been sitting on the bed trying to catch the snowflakes dropping from his flurry as the sisters talked but now turned his attention to Anna. "I know how much you love going on trips with Kristoff. And I know he was disappointed that you couldn't go with him when he and Sera left this morning."

Elsa stiffened. "Sera…left?"

"Yes, but it's okay, Elsa," Anna said, rubbing the back of her sister's hand comfortingly. "She's just going to help Kristoff with his ice harvesting. Before they left I made Sera promise me that she would come back to the castle. And I made Kristoff promise that he would get Sera's butt back here no matter what."

"And I made Kristoff promise to bring all of Sera back, not just her butt!" Olaf cried, throwing his twiggy arms into the air.

Elsa smiled at the snowman. "Thank you, Olaf. That was very kind of you, but you didn't have to do that."

"But of course I did!" Olaf said, giving Elsa a concerned look. "I had to tell Sera to come back because you're falling in love with her!"

Elsa gaped at the snowman for a few seconds. "I…I don't…Olaf, what are you talking about?"

"Oh come _on_, Elsa." Anna rolled her eyes. "It's obvious that you and Sera like each other."

"Well, of course we like each other. That's why we're friends."

Anna punched Elsa in the shoulder. "Elsa, don't be ridiculous. It's _really _obvious that you two want to be more than friends."

"I…w-what…"

"Aw, look at her, she's so in love that she's speechless!" Olaf said, wrapping Elsa in a hug.

Anna giggled at the blush rising on her sister's cheeks. "It's okay, Elsa. You don't have to be embarrassed about having a crush. It's actually really adorable."

"I don't have a crush on Sera," Elsa said as firmly as she could. She created a gust of cold wind, trying unsuccessfully to cool the blush burning across her face. "And…e-even if I did, it's not like Sera would be interested in me."

Olaf let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head at Elsa as he sat down on the bed. "For two people who saved each other with true love, you and Anna really don't know anything about how love works."

Anna fell back against her pillows, grinning at her sister. "She's interested, Elsa, I promise. Sera's basically been flirting with you ever since you two met." She lifted her head to waggle her eyebrows at Elsa. "And you've been flirting right back."

"What? Anna, that's ridiculous. Sera has _not_ been flirting with me. And I have most certainly haven't been flirting with her. Or, at least I didn't _mean _to flirt with her but…but obviously that wasn't happening so it doesn't matter if I meant to or not." Elsa looked quickly away from Anna, biting her lip.

Anna smirked at her sister. "For someone who doesn't have a crush, you're sure getting worked up about this."

Elsa stood up and began pacing in front of the bed while Anna and Olaf watched with bemused expressions.

"Okay so…so what if I did like Sera?" Elsa said, gripping her arms tightly. "That wouldn't bother you, would it?"

"Of course not, Sera is awesome!"

"No, I mean, not just Sera, but that I might like…women…" Elsa said, staring at the floor. "I understand if you think it's weird or…"

"Elsa," Anna said softly. "You shut me out for thirteen years and froze the entire kingdom and I still loved you. Do you really think something like this would change that?"

"Oh." Elsa gave Anna a small smile. "I guess not. But…but even if I did like Sera, it's not like anything could ever happen between the two of us. I mean, Sera couldn't possibly be interested in me. I'm too weird and awkward and—"

Elsa glanced up to see Anna grinning at her. "What? Anna, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, no reason," Anna said, trying and failing to suppress her grin. "This is just the cutest thing I've ever seen."

"I agree!" Olaf yelled, clapping his hands and dancing around on the bedspread. "Elsa's in love!"

Elsa's blush deepened. "I am not in love, Olaf. And I really don't think Sera likes me back."

Anna snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay, whatever Elsa. But don't be surprised if Sera proposes to you when she and Kristoff get back."

"Oh, I hope she does, that would be perfect!" Olaf squealed.

"I'm leaving now," Elsa said quickly as she moved toward the door.

"Or she might sing you a ballad professing her love. Or maybe—"

"Good bye, Anna," Elsa said as she closed the door. She hurried through the hallways, hoping none of the servants were around to see her blushing face.

* * *

"Elsa!"

Elsa started awake at the loud whisper. "Hmf, what is it? Olaf? What time is it?"

"Elsa, come on, get up!" Olaf hissed, grabbing the queen's arm and trying to pull her out of her bed.

The queen blinked and rubbed her eyes with her free hand as Olaf tugged on her other arm. "Olaf, what time is it? Why did you wake me up?"

"Kristoff and Sera are back!" Olaf squealed, only to be shushed by Elsa. "Sorry," Olaf whispered loudly. "But we need to go meet them! Sera needs to propose to you!"

Elsa groaned and rolled out of bed. "Olaf. Olaf, stop."

The queen sighed, watching as the snowman danced excitedly around the room. She glanced out the window and had to stifle another groan when she saw the sun wasn't even up yet. Kneeling, she reached out to grasp one of Olaf's arms, only to have to come off in her hands as Olaf continued to waltz around her.

"Olaf!" Elsa yelled.

Olaf froze mid-pirouette. "Yes, Elsa?"

"Olaf," Elsa said slowly. The snowman walked over to her and she refastened his arm. "Olaf, I need you to listen to me very carefully. You can't tell Sera anything about the conversation we had with Anna two days ago. And you can't mention anything about her proposing to me."

"Why not?"

Elsa rubbed her temples. "Olaf, I'm too tired for this. Please, please, _please _just don't say anything about crushes or marriages or anything like that."

"Okay. But only if you come meet them in the courtyard with me."

"Fine. As long as you promise not to say anything to Sera." The snowman nodded enthusiastically and Elsa stood up. "Okay, just give me a minute to get dressed."

* * *

Elsa stumbled sleepily behind Olaf as he pulled her through the doors to the courtyard.

"Kristoff! Sera! Sven!" Olaf yelled as he let go of Elsa's hand and ran to hug one of Sven's forelegs. "How are you, buddy? Did you miss me?"

Sven licked Olaf's face, nodded, and began licking snowflakes out of the air from Olaf's flurry. Kristoff released Sven from his harness and the reindeer started chasing the snowman around the courtyard.

Sera laughed, leaning back against the sleigh. "How's it going, Olaf?"

Olaf stopped and stared at Sera. "Sorry, I'm not allowed to talk to you right now," he said as Sven bowled him over onto the cobblestones.

Sera gave the snowman a quizzical look. "All right then." She turned and smiled at Elsa. "You're up early."

"Yeah, Olaf was excited you were back, so he came and woke me up," Elsa said, shaking her head. "I'm just glad he woke me up and not Anna."

"How is she doing?" Sera asked.

"I think her cut might actually be healing now. Through the collective efforts of me, Olaf, and the entire castle staff, we somehow managed to get her to stay in bed the entire time you were gone." Elsa stepped towards Sera, her voice softening. "I'm…I'm glad you came back this time."

Sera moved quickly out of the way as Sven and Olaf rushed past her and smiled at the queen. "Of course I did. The only reason Anna agreed to stay in bed until the ball was because I promised to come back." She closed the distance between them and gently took Elsa's hand. "Though I would've come back even if I hadn't promised Anna."

Both women turned as a door on the other side of the courtyard slammed open and Kristoff walked into view, covering a huge yawn with his hand. Elsa blushed, thankful that the sleigh hid her and Sera's hands from view.

"Hey, Sera!" Kristoff said as he approached the sleigh. "Are you going to help me at all with unloading the ice?"

Sera scoffed. "Of course not! I beat you in that snowball fight, so I don't have to help. That was the deal."

"I'm still not convinced that you didn't use your powers to win," Kristoff muttered as he seized another block of ice with his tongs, sliding it across the bottom of the sleigh.

"Kristoff!" Sera said indignantly. "Are you accusing me of cheating?"

Kristoff remained silent as he heaved the ice block onto his back.

"Hey!" Sera said, letting go of Elsa's hand to walk around the sleigh. "Kristoff, put that ice down and tell me if you think I cheated."

Kristoff set the ice back on the sled and turned to face Sera, grinning. "You cheated."

"What?" Sera yelled, shoving Kristoff playfully in the chest. "How dare you! I didn't cheat. You're just a sore loser."

Kristoff whacked Sera in the arm. "I'm not a sore loser, you're a liar and a cheater."

Sera lunged at Kristoff and he ducked out of the way, running around to the other side of the sleigh.

"Hey! Get back here," Sera shouted as she leapt over the sled.

Elsa watched, laughing, as the two wrestled and punched their way across the courtyard. "Well, you two have fun. I'm going back to bed."

"Oh, Elsa, wait!" Kristoff called. The queen turned to see Sera put Kristoff into a headlock.

"Sera and I are going to leave again as soon as we finished unloading this," Kristoff said, flailing ineffectively against Sera's hold. "All of your guests are going to empty the castle's ice stores at your party tonight, so I want to refill them right away."

"Oh, Kristoff, you don't have to do that," Elsa said. "I can replenish the ice myself if you and Sera want to join us at the ball."

Sera laughed, releasing Kristoff and shoving him away from her. "That's exactly why he wants to go on another ice trip. He doesn't _want _to be at the ball."

Elsa smiled at the ice harvester as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I understand. I'm just jealous I can't go with you. I hate parties."

"I'm sure everything will go just fine," Kristoff said as he resumed unloading ice from the sleigh. "Sera, if you help me we can leave sooner."

"Only you admit that I won that snowball fight fair and square," Sera demanded, crossing her arms.

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Fine, you won and you didn't cheat. Now hurry up and help me."

"Thank you," Sera said as she walked toward the sleigh. She grabbed a pair of tongs and easily swung a block of ice onto her back. "And Elsa," she said, glancing back toward the queen. "Kristoff is right. Everything will be fine."

* * *

Elsa smiled at the dignitaries in front of her, struggling to keep her attention on their discussion of future trade opportunities between their three kingdoms. She knew this conversation was important but her attention was wandering despite her best efforts. Luckily Anna was no longer yawning and picking at her nails.

A few seconds later Anna snickered and Elsa had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.

"Anna," she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "You're not being very polite."

"I'm sorry," Anna said, stifling another giggle. "But Kristoff and Sera are being funny."

"Anna, what—" The queen paused to smile and nod as one of the dignitaries looked towards her. "What are you talking about?" Elsa said after the nobleman turned away.

The princess sniggered again. "Just look out the window."

Elsa glanced around the dignitaries to look out the window behind them, hastily choking back a giggle when she caught sight of Kristoff and Sera, who had their faces pressed against the glass. Kristoff was using his fingers to stretch his cheeks out to the side and Sera was wearing a goofy smile while crossing her eyes.

"What are they doing?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know," Anna said, bringing her hand to her mouth to hide another giggle. "But it's hilarious."

Elsa had to take a deep breath to fight down her own laughter. "They really need to stop. I'm just glad our guests have their backs to the window."

Sven suddenly appeared at the window, pressing his lips against the glass in a large 'O' and slowly licking the windowpane. Olaf, who was on top of Sven's head, tried to push his face against the glass as well but his long nose got in the way. The snowman frowned, pushing his face toward the window until his nose shot backwards into his head, leaving him with only a carrot tip for a nose. Olaf frantically waved his hands behind him, trying to shove his nose back into place while Sera and Kristoff laughed.

After gaining control of her mirth, Sera reached up and pushed Olaf's nose back into place. Olaf immediately smashed his face into the glass, once again shortening his nose. This process repeated several more times until Anna burst out laughing, bending over and clutching her side.

"Oh, ow, that hurts, ahh," Anna gasped between giggles.

"Would you please excuse us?" Elsa smiled apologetically at the dignitaries, struggling not to laugh herself as she pulled her sister away from the group.

* * *

Several hours later, the queen stood in the throne room, tapping her foot impatiently. The door opened to admit Kristoff and Sera, both of whom were grinning sheepishly.

"So," Elsa said as Kristoff and Sera stepped forward, shoving each other and trying not to laugh. "What on earth made you two think that was a good idea? And why are you back so early? I thought you weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow."

"Sera figured out a way to use her powers to cut the ice so the harvesting went really quickly," Kristoff explained as he continued elbowing Sera. "So we got done early and when we got back we wanted to see what the party was like. We weren't planning on being disruptive, we just wanted to watch at the guests for a little while and figure out who the most beautiful woman at the ball was. But then we saw how bored Anna looked and we wanted to cheer her up."

Elsa shook her head, doing her best to feign a look of disappointment. "While I appreciate you looking out for Anna, I would ask that you refrain from doing something like this in the future."

"Of course, your majesty," Sera said, bowing. She glanced over at Kristoff and saw that he wasn't following suit so she punched him in the stomach, causing him to double over.

"Please excuse his terrible manners, your majesty," Sera said, whacking Kristoff in the side. "He was raised by trolls, so you can't expect too much of him."

Kristoff poked Sera in the ribs. "Hey, I'm not the one who hits people to get them to bow."

Sera tried to put Kristoff in a headlock and the two began to wrestle again.

"I apologize for interrupting, but…" Elsa began, fighting to keep the smile from her face. Sera and Kristoff looked up but continued to jab at each other. "I was wondering if I could enquire about something you mentioned earlier, Kristoff. You said that you were trying to decide who the most beautiful woman at the ball was and I wanted to know if you had reached a decision."

The door of the throne room opened and Anna stuck her head into the room. "Hey, Elsa, are you done yelling at Kristoff now? I need to borrow him."

Before Elsa could respond Anna darted into the room, seized Kristoff's wrist, and pulled him through the doorway.

"I'm sure he's learned his lesson. Bye now!" Anna called as she slammed the door.

Elsa laughed and shook her head, glancing back to Sera. "So, what did you decide?

"Well, Kristoff picked Anna, obviously," Sera said, rolling her eyes.

"And what about you?" Elsa asked softly. "Who did you pick?"

"You, my queen," Sera said as she planted one foot behind her and swept her arms out from her sides, giving Elsa an extravagant and graceful bow. She held her pose for a few seconds before straightening up to grin at Elsa, winking before she stepped from the room.

The queen stood, unmoving, for a moment before slowly bringing a hand to her chest, feeling her rapid heartbeat as a smile stretched across her face.

Elsa made her way to her bedroom, humming happily to herself as she left a trail of snow behind her. She waltzed through into her room and fell onto her bed, watching as fat, fluffy snowflakes drifted lazily from the ceiling.

Still grinning, the queen turned, freezing when she caught sight of her bed's headboard. Her smile faded and her stomach dropped as she looked at the plain, white piece of paper fastened to the wood with a single crossbow bolt.


	12. Chapter 12 - Understanding Strength

**If you've been following this story and are confused about why this chapter is now chapter 12 instead of 10, please see the author's note at the beginning of chapter 13 for an explanation!**

* * *

"Miss Sera! Miss Sera!" Kai cried as he ran into the garden.

Sera started and stood quickly, trying to inconspicuously wipe the dirt from her hands. "Kai! Um, hi. Uh, I wasn't rearranging the garden again, so if the head gardener asks, I had nothing to do with those flowers getting to the opposite side of—"

Kai waved a hand, shaking his head. "No, Miss Sera, that's not why I'm here. There's something wrong with Elsa."

Sera, who was in the process of unrolling her dirt-stained sleeves, froze. "What? Where is she?"

"She's in her room, Miss Sera."

The words had barely left Kai's mouth before Sera took off running into the castle. She sprinted through the halls and up several flights of stairs to see Gerda standing outside of Elsa's room.

Gerda turned at the sound of Sera's footsteps. "Miss Sera, oh thank goodness!"

Sera strode quickly down the hallway to stand next to the fretting woman. "What's wrong, Gerda? Where is Elsa?"

Gerda wrung her hands, glancing worriedly at the door of Elsa's bedroom before looking back at Sera. "She's in her room, Miss Sera. I don't think she's come out since last night. I thought she was worn out from ball and was sleeping late, so I didn't try to wake her until a few minutes ago. But she isn't responding to anyone and we can't get her door open. I think it's frozen shut."

Sera stepped toward the door, putting her hand against its cold wood. "Have you asked Anna to talk to her?"

"No, Miss Sera. Princess Anna left this morning with Mister Kristoff to spend a few days at his cabin." Gerda placed a hand on Sera's upper arm and gave her a pleading look. "She won't listen to me or Kai. Please, Miss Sera, you have to try to talk to her."

Sera frowned, her eyes still fixed on Elsa's door. "All right, Gerda. I'll try."

* * *

Elsa was huddled underneath the windowsill of her room's large window with her knees pulled up to her chest, trying her hardest not to look at the piece of paper attached to the headboard of her bed.

"Elsa?"

The queen flinched as Sera's muffled voice filtered into the room.

"Elsa, I'm going to come in now."

There was a hissing sound and a burst of steam as Sera melted the ice encasing the door. Elsa buried her face in her arms, listening as the door clicked open and Sera slipped into the room.

Sera closed the door softly behind her, ice lacing over the handle the second she removed her hand from the metal. She took several cautious steps forward but stopped when Elsa shuddered. "It's okay, Elsa, I won't come any closer. I'll stay right here."

The queen peeked over her arms at Sera, watching as the woman knelt near the end of her bed. She quickly hid her face again when Sera glanced up at her.

"Elsa, are you all right? What's wrong?" Sera asked, concern filling her voice. She watched as icy spikes shot along one of the bedposts and crept across the carpet in front of her. "Okay, it's okay, Elsa. I won't ask any more questions, I'll just stay here quietly. Unless…unless you want me to go?"

"No!" Elsa said quickly, raising her head to look at Sera. Her face crumpled as Sera met her eyes and she lowered her head again, pulling her knees closer to her chest.

"Okay. Okay, Elsa," Sera said softly. "I'll stay right here but we don't have to talk."

Silence filled the room for the next several minutes. Elsa shivered and glanced up at Sera, who was still kneeling several feet in front of her, eyes closed and unmoving. Something twisted in her stomach and Elsa couldn't tell if she was disappointed or relieved that they hadn't made eye contact.

Bringing her gaze down to her knees, Elsa took several careful breaths before saying, "You…you should leave."

Sera opened her eyes and nodded slowly. "Okay," she said as she started to rise.

"No!" Elsa cried, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her forehead against her knees.

After a few seconds Sera asked gently, "Do you want me to leave, Elsa?"

"I don't know," the queen said, her breath hitching as she fought back the tears pooling behind her closed eyelids. "I want you to stay but…but I shouldn't."

"What do you mean 'you shouldn't'? Did I do something wrong?"

"No! You didn't do anything wrong. You're wonderful and beautiful and I—" Elsa broke off and took a deep, shuddering breath. "No, no I can't. I shouldn't."

"I'm sorry, Elsa, I'm confused. What shouldn't you do?"

"I shouldn't want you to be around! I should make you leave!" Elsa yelled, throwing her head back against the wall. She heard a sharp inhale from the other woman but continued to stare fiercely at the ceiling, biting down hard on her lower lip.

"I can…I can leave, Elsa," Sera said slowly, her voice forcibly neutral. "Not just your room, I can leave for good if that's what you want. If that's what would be most helpful for you, then I'll leave. Just tell me what you want me to do."

After a minute of silence, Sera spoke again, this time unable to hide the tinge of desperation in her voice. "Elsa, please. Just tell me what you want me to do."

"I don't know what I want!" Elsa shouted, slamming her hands on the floor next to her. Small rings of icicles rose from the carpet around her clenched fists. "Why do you care so much about what I want anyway? You're just some random stranger that Anna and I fished out of the harbor. We should have taken you to the inn instead of the castle and then none of this would have happened!"

Elsa glared at Sera, watching as the woman clenched her jaw, her face twitching through a variety of emotions.

"I care about what you want," Sera began, her voice flat. "Because I care about you. I care about you and Anna and Kristoff and I don't want to hurt any of you. But obviously my staying here is a problem for you, so I'll leave. I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner."

The woman rose and swiftly walked toward the door, but froze as the queen let out a stifled cry. Elsa saw Sera's shoulders tense and for a moment the only sounds in the room were the queen's quiet sobs.

Sera sighed and her shoulders slumped. "Elsa…I know you want me to go but I can't just leave you here alone and crying."

"How can you still being so understanding?" Elsa asked, roughly wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I just said something awful to you and you still care about how I feel. No one should care about my feelings because I shouldn't even have them!"

Sera turned back to look at Elsa, an expression of utter disbelief on her face. "What? You…you shouldn't have feelings?"

Elsa shook her head. "No, I shouldn't. It's what my father was trying to tell me for over ten years, but I've only just figured out why. I used to think that when he told me to conceal, not feel, that he was talking about controlling my powers. But now I know that he meant that I should _always_ conceal and _never _feel, even when my powers aren't an issue. He was trying to tell me that in order to be a good ruler, in order to be a good queen, I would need to conceal my feelings. He was right. But I was too stupid to figure out what he meant and now I've ruined everything."

Sera made a frustrated noise in the back of her throat. "Elsa, I seriously doubt you've ruined everything. And telling someone not to feel…that's just, just…I don't even have words for how wrong that is."

Elsa brought her arms up to clutch her knees again, the rings of icicles her fists had left on the carpet growing thicker. "No, my father was right. Do you see that note on the headboard of my bed?" She waited until Sera glanced at the paper before continuing. "The morning that Anna and I rescued you, I found a note in the throne room. It said someone would attack Arendelle if I didn't surrender my throne within thirty days. And last night I found that piece of paper." She jerked her head in the direction of the document. "It's a reminder that my time is almost up. 'You have two weeks.' That's all it says."

The queen sighed heavily and let her head fall forward onto her knees. "I have two weeks left to discover who is threatening Arendelle and I have absolutely no idea what to do. I have no leads, no information, and no clues about who might've left these threats because I've been too distracted by my feelings to properly address it. So yes, my father was right. I paid too much attention to my feelings and now my kingdom and my people will suffer because of it. Because I was too busy chasing after a crush to protect them."

Sera stared at Elsa, her mouth hanging open and her arms dangling limply at her sides. "You…you have a crush on me?"

Elsa snorted. "Really, Sera? _That's_ what you got out of everything I just said?" Sera flushed and kicked bashfully at the frozen carpet. She looked so comically dejected that Elsa couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, no, that wasn't the only thing I got out of it," Sera said. She winked at Elsa. "But I got you to laugh."

"Sera, I hardly think this is the appropriate time for—" Elsa's smile disappeared and she hugged herself tightly, staring down at her knees. "No, I can't do this." She shook her head forcefully. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. I should be focusing on my duties but instead I keep getting distracted by..." she trailed off as she looked up at Sera. "By you," she finished softly.

"Elsa, I'm sorry," Sera said. She took several steps forward and knelt down. "I didn't mean to make light of threats against Arendelle. But you're being way too hard on yourself. Concealing your feelings isn't going to make things better, it will only make it worse."

The queen didn't look up from her knees. "I fail to see how this could get any worse."

"It could be a lot worse, Elsa. You could be alone."

The words sent a painful jolt through Elsa's body. "What…what do you mean?"

"This situation would be immeasurably worse if you were alone. But you don't have to be, Elsa, and that's why you have feelings. Human beings have emotions so we'll feel connected to each other, so we don't have to face challenges like this alone. People aren't made to do everything by themselves. We're made to be strong on our own, yes, but we're made to be even stronger when we're together. So that means part of being strong is being able to accept the strength of others when you need it, and to offer them your own strength when the time comes. That's why feelings are important, Elsa." Sera's eyes, which had been roaming fitfully around the room, now locked with Elsa's. "That's why concealing them would make everything that much worse."

"How…how can you be so sure of that?" Elsa sniffed and dropped her gaze to the floor. "Everything you just said could be complete horse shit."

Sera shrugged. "Yeah, it could be. But the person who explained this to me was a pretty wise woman and I trusted her a lot. More than I've ever trusted anyone in my life, including myself. So when she told me something that sounded meaningful, even if it just sounded like meaningful horse shit, I tried to pay attention."

Elsa let her head fall forward onto her arms and sighed. "I don't know if I believe anything you just said." She looked up to meet Sera's eyes. "But I…I think I want to."

Sera gave her a small smile. "That's okay. You don't have to believe it right now. But thank you for trusting me enough to listen to me."

"I don't understand," Elsa blurted and Sera gave her a quizzical look. "I don't understand why you're being so kind to me. All I've done is cry and yell awful things at you but you're still here. Why?"

"Because I want to be here. Because I want to be here to lend you my strength, if you'll let me."

Elsa opened her mouth but was unable to find words. The heat of tears pricked the backs of her eyes and she broke eye contact with Sera, letting her gaze fall to the carpet.

It was then she noticed the frost creeping up from the floor and onto Sera's pants. "Why are you letting me do that? Can't you melt it?"

"I can." Sera looked down at her legs. "But I don't want to get rid of it if you need it there."

"No!" Elsa said, her hands jumping up to clutch her shoulders tightly. "I don't need it there and I don't _want _it there."

"Okay, Elsa," Sera said calmly. "Is it all right if I help you get rid of it?"

The queen nodded, her head still buried in her arms.

"Okay. I'm going to move a little closer and then I'm going to help you with the ice," Sera said as she rose and slowly walked toward Elsa. She knelt in front of the queen, watching closely as Elsa pulled her knees closer to her chest.

"I'm going to start melting the ice now." Sera shifted so she was sitting cross-legged on the floor, still studying Elsa closely. She closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. "Let me know if you need me to stop or go slower."

Elsa heard a soft crinkling noise as a small, ice-free circle appeared on the wall across from her. She shivered and frost crawled over the spot once again. Wincing, she glanced at Sera but the woman didn't react, just continued to breathe evenly and push the ice back the once again.

Twenty minutes later, Elsa felt tears spill onto her cheeks, watching frost again cover everything in the room.

"I'm sorry, Sera," Elsa said, choking back a sob. "I can't…" She shuddered as Sera reached toward her. "Please. I don't want to hurt you."

"I know. That's why I know you won't," Sera said. She slid her hands around Elsa's fingers and squeezed them comfortingly. "Just let me help you. I promise it will be okay."

Elsa suppressed a shiver, closing her eyes and forcing herself to relax. "Okay," she rasped, nodding. "Okay."

Sera gently pulled Elsa's hands away from her knees, giving her a small, encouraging smile. She rested her elbows on her thighs and held the queen's hands lightly in her upturned palms.

Elsa watched as the frost on her bedroom wall again began to recede, tensing as the ice-free space grew.

"It's okay, Elsa," Sera said as Elsa gripped her hands tightly. "I'm right here."

The queen closed her eyes and forced herself to control her breathing. When she opened her eyes again a few minutes later, the only remaining ice was a small circle around her and Sera.

Elsa gasped as the last of the frost disappeared from the floor. A wave of warmth, stemming from the hands that gripped hers, flooded through her entire body. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that this was the warmest she had ever felt. She had never in her life felt cold, but until this moment, she hadn't realized that she had never truly felt warm. With a strangled sob Elsa threw herself at Sera, landing awkwardly in the stunned woman's arms.

"Whoa, hey. Elsa, it's okay," Sera said, recovering herself enough to wrap the queen in a hug.

Elsa brought a trembling hand to her face, wiping away her tears before they could fall onto Sera's shirt. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Sera, I shouldn't be doing this to you," she whispered.

Sera shook her head, pulling Elsa further onto her lap. "There's nothing to apologize for," she said, stroking Elsa's hair as the queen pressed her head into her shoulder.

"I don't know if I believe you," Elsa muttered. She nuzzled her forehead against Sera's neck. "But thank you."

Sera looked down, her lips lightly brushing against the top of Elsa's head. "Of course, my queen."

Elsa smiled, turning her face into Sera's shoulder to hide her blush.

* * *

Several hours later, a knock caused Sera to turn toward the door.

"Oh! Gerda…uh." Sera looked from Gerda to the queen sleeping in her arms. "Um, hi. Nothing happened, I just—"

She started to shift Elsa out of her lap but Gerda shook her head. "Please, Miss Sera, don't move on my account. I think you're needed exactly where you are. I just wanted to check in to see if everything was all right."

Sera smiled, flushing slightly as she looked down at Elsa. "Everything is fine, Gerda. Just fine."

"I'm glad to hear it, Miss Sera. I'll inform the rest of the staff not bother you two," Gerda said, starting to close the door.

"Gerda, wait." Sera's eyes flicked to the paper attached to the headboard. "That paper on Elsa's bed, could you please be sure it gets to Commander Bristin? I'm sure Elsa would appreciate it."

Gerda nodded and walked to the bed. She pried the crossbow bolt from the wood, rolling the paper around it as she headed out the door. "I'll be sure to get this to the Commander. Goodnight, Miss Sera. And thank you."

"Goodnight to you as well, Gerda."

As the door clicked shut, the queen shifted her head against Sera's shoulder, causing part of her braid to come undone and fall over her face. Smiling, Sera tenderly brushed the strands of hair behind Elsa's ear. She cradled the sleeping woman against her chest, rising carefully and walking toward the bed. She lowered Elsa onto the blankets began to pull away but the queen gripped her sleeve.

"Sera," Elsa mumbled, still half asleep. "Please stay."

Sera nodded and lay down on her back next to Elsa, slipping an arm underneath the queen. Elsa snuggled into her side, sighing contentedly as she nestled her head against the woman's chest.

"I'll be right here, Elsa. I promise," Sera said, running her fingers through the queen's hair.

Elsa muttered something incoherently and slid her arm across Sera's stomach. Sera gently placed her hand over Elsa's, sighing happily as she closed her eyes.


	13. Chapter 13 - Carving Out Emotions

**A/N: Hello readers! I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update, but there are 3 new chapters now, so hopefully that will make up for it.**

**This update ended up being rather complicated. I've added two new chapters earlier on in the story to flesh out Sera and Elsa's relationship, added this new chapter on the end to advance the story, and did a lot of revising throughout the story. I'm going to list what I've done with each chapter so you can all figure out what you want to read of this update:**

**Chapters 1-5 have only minor revisions.**

**Chapters 6 and 7 are new.**

**Chapters 8-12 have been revised to fit with the new chapters 6 and 7.**

**Chapter 13 is a new.**

**If you want to make sure you don't miss anything I would just read the whole story again. If you don't want to do that, I would recommend reading all of chapters 6 and 7, skimming chapters 8-12 to see the changes, and reading all of chapter 13. And if you're confused about everything I've just said just read the whole story again and it should (hopefully) make sense.**

**Also, this story has over 100 followers! Whoa! I'm so happy people are enjoying this story. Please let me know what you think of my new chapters and revisions.**

**Thank you all for reading, faving, and following, and an extra thank you to those who review! And thanks to AnatomyFreak for being my unofficial beta for this update.**

* * *

Elsa woke to the steady thump of a heartbeat, smiling when she realized her head was still resting on Sera's chest. She snuggled closer to the woman and willed herself to fall back asleep.

Sera mumbled softly and shifted, her arm slipping from the queen's back and onto the bed. Elsa shuddered as a sliver of cold crept across the now empty space on her torso.

The queen's head jerked up suddenly to look at the headboard of her bed, her entire body tensing as she caught sight of the blank wood.

"Elsa?" Sera looked up into the queen's face with a sleepy but worried expression.

"The note is gone." Elsa's breathing quickened as panic expanded in her chest. Swirls of small, frosty spikes began to curl across the headboard. "Oh god, I've lost this one too. Shit, shit, _shit._"

"Whoa, whoa, Elsa, it's okay," Sera said, gently pulling the queen into a hug. "It's not lost. I asked Gerda to take it to Commander Bristin last night."

Elsa let out a shaky breath, her head falling back onto Sera's chest. She squeezed her eyes shut as a tear trickled down her cheek. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Sera, I just…"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Elsa," Sera said firmly, reaching up to stroke the queen's hair. "I'm sorry if sending the note to Bristin wasn't the right thing to do. It just took so long for you to relax and fall asleep last night that I didn't want to wake you to ask about it. So, I did what I thought was best. I'm sorry if that was out of line."

The queen shook her head, her hands clenching around fistfuls of Sera's shirt. "No, Sera, you did everything right. The problem is that _you _did it and not me. I should have gotten that note to Bristin the minute I found it. That's what a responsible ruler would have done. But I got distracted by my feelings instead, so you had to do it." She pushed away from Sera, wrapping her arms around herself. "This is exactly why I need to conceal, why I shouldn't let myself feel."

"Elsa…" Sera said softly. She sat up slowly and placed a tentative hand on the queen's shoulder. "Do you remember what I told you last night about strength? About how feelings connect you to others so they can help you be strong?"

Elsa sniffed and nodded slightly.

"Okay. So, the feelings you were having last night were a good thing. They gave me the opportunity to help you, to lend you my strength," Sera said, gently rubbing Elsa's shoulder with her thumb. "And if you had concealed your feelings I wouldn't have gotten that opportunity. Your feelings didn't mess things up, Elsa, they actually made them better."

The room was silent for a moment as the queen's breathing slowed and she began to relax her tense muscles.

Sera brought her other hand up to Elsa's head and began to run her fingers through her hair. "You don't need to conceal your emotions, Elsa, and you don't need to be afraid of them."

"I don't think I know how to not conceal them." Elsa reached up to grip Sera's hand on her shoulder, her voice falling to a whisper. "I don't know how to not be afraid of them."

"That's okay. You don't have to know how to do it right now. But in the future, if you want, I would be happy to help you with that."

The queen raised her head to look at Sera, giving her a confused look. "Help me with what?"

"With learning how to not be afraid of your feelings."

Elsa's brow furrowed. "I don't understand…how could you help me with that?" She shook her head roughly. "Never mind, it doesn't matter because it's a bad idea. If I'm focusing on my feelings then I can't focus on my duties as queen."

"Concealing your feelings will only make it harder to carry out your duties, Elsa. But you don't have to decide now, or ever, if you want me to help you with that. I don't want to make you do anything you're not comfortable with."

Elsa sighed and tightened her hold on Sera's hand. "Thank you, Sera. I don't know if I'll ever be able to take you up on that offer, but I appreciate you making it." She sat up and sighed heavily. "But right now there are other things I need to pay attention to." Sera opened her mouth to protest but Elsa held up a hand. "I'm not trying to run away from anything, Sera, there's just a kingdom I need to run."

Sera nodded, chuckling. "Oh yeah, right. Well, if it would be helpful, I can stay with you while you work. Or I can give you space. Whatever would make things easier for you."

"I think…I think I would like you to stay with me," Elsa said. She reached out hesitantly to take Sera's hand, a blush forming on her cheeks when Sera laced their fingers together.

"Okay. I can definitely do that," Sera said, smiling at Elsa.

"Thank you." Elsa returned the woman's smile and stood up, reluctantly separating her hand from Sera's. "I should probably get ready first."

"Of course." Sera got up from the bed, laying her hand on Elsa's arm for a second before striding toward the door. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

* * *

Elsa rested her elbow on the desk, propping her head on her hand as she thumbed through a volume of Arendelle's trade records. Finding the correct page, she tilted the large book to better catch the candlelight, scribbling something down in her notes. A moment later, one of the candles sputtered out and Elsa set down her quill with a frustrated sigh.

"I got it," Sera said. She glanced at the candle and the wick burst into flame, its light even stronger than before.

"Thanks," Elsa replied, turning to smile at Sera. The woman was sitting on a chair a few feet away from the desk, holding a knife in one hand and an oddly-shaped piece of wood in the other.

"What are you doing?" Elsa asked. She eyed the scraps and shavings of wood covering the floor around Sera and raised an eyebrow. "Besides making a mess."

Sera wiped her knife on her pant leg and slid it back into the sheath attached to her boot before walking over to Elsa's desk.

"Um, it's going to be a horse," she said, offering Elsa the piece of wood.

Elsa carefully took the carving from Sera's hands, tracing her fingers over the meticulously carved muzzle of a horse that was emerging from the block of wood.

"Wow," she said, looking up at Sera. "This is amazing."

"Thanks." Sera blushed slightly as Elsa returned the carving. "It's not even close to finished yet.

"Well, it already looks incredible. I'd love to see it when you're done."

Sera nodded, rubbing her thumb across the rough wood that still surrounded the horse's head. "Sure. A few more days of sitting with you while you work should get me there."

The queen winced slightly and glanced down at the desk, rolling her quill underneath her fingers. "I'm sorry if staying here with me has been boring."

"No, Elsa, that's not what I meant," Sera said quickly. She set her carving on the desk and crouched down next to Elsa's chair. She put a hand on the queen's cheek, turning her face so their eyes met. "I haven't minded being here at all. If it's helpful for me to sit with you while you work, then I'm more than happy to do it."

"Thank you." Elsa slid her hand around Sera's, giving the woman a small smile. "I know I haven't done much besides paper work for the last two days but just having you here has made things a lot easier."

The door of the study flew open and Sera jerked her hand from Elsa's face, the momentum of her action sending her tumbling backwards. She grasped at Elsa's desk as she fell, sending a flurry of papers into the air, most of which landed on her head as she lay spread-eagled on the floor.

"Hi, Elsa!" Olaf shouted excitedly as he ran into the room.

"O-Olaf," Elsa stammered, glancing between the snowman and the woman sprawled on the floor behind her desk. "You startled me."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to."

"It's all right, Olaf." Elsa smiled at the energetic snowman. "Just try to remember to knock in the future.

"Okay! I'll try," Olaf said earnestly. "Anna, Kristoff, and I just got back. They're unloading the sleigh right now but Anna wanted me to find you and ask you to have lunch in the dining room with them in a few minutes. And Sera, too! Do you know where she is?"

Elsa nodded, trying not to look down at Sera. "Yes, Olaf, I do. I'll let her know and we'll both be in the dining room soon."

"Great!" Olaf yelled. He turned and ran into the hallway. "I'll go tell Anna and then I'm going to go play with Sven in the stables."

Elsa turned to Sera as the snowman's happy humming faded down the hallway. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Sera said, pulling a piece of paper from her face. She sat up and began gathering the scattered documents. "Just a little winded."

Elsa took the papers from Sera and helped the woman to her feet. "Why don't you go meet Anna and Kristoff in the dining room? I'll be down after I finish straightening things up here."

"As long as you'll be okay," Sera said.

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Sera, I'll be alone for five minutes while I shuffle some papers around. I'll be fine."

Sera ducked her head. "Sorry. I just wanted to be sure."

Elsa smiled. "It's okay. I appreciate your concern."

"All right. I'll head out after I clean up these scraps," Sera said, walking to the pile of wood shavings she had left in front of her chair. She bent down for a moment to gather the fragments and then threw them in the nearby fireplace. "I'll see you soon," she called as she walked out the door.

* * *

"I'm sorry it took me so long," Elsa said as she strode into the dining room. "I had to return several books to the library and—"

She paused, noticing the tense silence that hung over the room. Sera was looking determinedly at her plate, poking furiously at her food while Anna glared at her from across the table with her arms crossed.

Kristoff, who was seated next to Anna, shot the queen a desperate look. "Hi, Elsa. How are you?"

Elsa glanced between Sera and her sister. "I'm—"

"Can you at least promise to tell me later?" Anna asked abruptly, her eyes still fixed on Sera.

Sera looked up at the princess, her jaw clenched. "No."

Anna opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Sera's fork clattering against the table. Sera stood, gave Anna one last stony glare, and strode purposefully toward the door, moving past Elsa without so much as glancing at the queen.

Anna sat back in her chair with a huff as the door of the dining room slammed shut.

Kristoff groaned and dropped his face into his hands. "I told you this was a bad idea, Anna."

Elsa bit back a groan and turned to look at her sister. "Anna, what did you do?"

The princess made an exasperated noise and picked up her fork, stabbing angrily at her food.

"While we were at my cabin Anna got it into her head that she should ask Sera about why she freaked out at the name 'Aaron,'" Kristoff explained, shaking his head. "I tried to tell her it was a terrible idea but she wouldn't listen to me."

Elsa let out a frustrated sigh and walked over to stand across the table from her sister. "Anna, why the hell would you do that?"

"I was just trying to help!" Anna yelled, smashing her fists down on the table and rattling every dish on its surface. Elsa took a step backwards, gripping the back of a chair, and Kristoff gave his girlfriend a shocked look. Anna looked down at her hands, her eyes wide, and quickly pulled them into her lap.

"I'm sorry," Anna said in a quiet voice. "I just…I just didn't want Sera to keep her feelings bottled up inside. I've seen how much that can hurt people and I didn't want that to happen to her." She looked up at Elsa, her eyes shining with tears. "I couldn't help you with that, Elsa, and I…I didn't want that to happen to someone else I care about."

Elsa gaped at her sister. "Anna…"

Anna rose and fled toward the door, tears shining on her cheeks.

"I'll go talk to her," Kristoff said, rising to follow the princess. "Maybe you should go check on Sera?"

The queen nodded, her knuckles white as she released the backrest of the chair.

* * *

"Sera?" Elsa called as she stepped into the garden. She walked on the cobblestone path to the center of the garden and found Sera sitting in one of the flowerbeds with her back against a tree.

Elsa knelt down in the grass in front of her and asked tentatively, "Sera?"

Sera's eyes snapped back into focus and she looked at the queen, giving her a small smile. "Hey, Elsa."

"Are you okay?"

Sera gave Elsa a confused look. "Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just…in the dining room with Anna…Kristoff told me what she asked you and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Sera flicked at a clod of dirt. "The…event that Anna asked about happened a long time ago and for the most part I've accepted that it happened, but…" She sighed and let her head fall forward onto her chest, tangling her fingers in her hair. "It's just not something I like to talk about."

"Okay. I can understand that. I promise I won't ask about it and I'll tell Anna not to either. I can also talk to Olaf to make sure he never says A—that name again so—"

"Whoa, Elsa, slow down." Sera quickly stood and walked over to Elsa, kneeling down to take the queen's hands in her own. "I'm fine, Elsa. I promise. You don't need to talk to Anna or Olaf, I'm sure it won't happen again." She brought a hand up to Elsa's face, gently stroking her cheek as her eyes darted around the queen's face. "Are you okay, though?"

Elsa closed her eyes and leaned her head into Sera's hand. "I don't know. After you left, Anna said she was trying to help you confront your feelings because…because she'd seen how much concealing my feelings hurt me. She said she didn't want that to happen to you, too."

Sera smiled and shook her head slightly. "Anna spends an amazing amount of time looking out for others. Sometimes at the expense of her own well-being, I think."

"I don't understand how she does it. I barely talked to her for thirteen years and she still loved me, was still willing to sacrifice herself for me…" Elsa trailed off, biting her lip. She opened her eyes and found Sera studying her face intently. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Sera opened her mouth but then shook her head. "Now's not the time or place. But…there is something I'd like to show you. We'd have to leave the castle for a few hours and we might not be back until dusk. But I think it might be helpful for you."

Elsa brow furrowed. "I don't know, Sera. There are so many things I need to do and something might happen while—"

"Paperwork can be put off, unless there's something really pressing. And Anna's back now, so if something comes up, she'll be here to handle it. But if you don't want to go, that's fine."

Elsa looked down at her hands, which were still clasped with Sera's, and took a deep breath. "I think I would like to go with you."

"Okay," Sera said, smiling. "It'll be faster if we go on horseback, if that's all right."

Elsa nodded. "That should be fine. I'll need to change into my riding clothes, though."

"While you're doing that I'll go tell Anna we'll be leaving for a few hours. I'll meet you at the stables in ten minutes?"

"Sure."

Sera lowered her head and lightly brushed her lips against Elsa's fingers before slipping out of the garden.


	14. Chapter 14 - Overlapping Fractals

**A/N: Okay readers, as much as I wish this weren't true, my schoolwork is going to start picking up soon so future updates are probably only going to happen every 1-2 weeks. I'm going to do my best to keep it closer to one week but the time between updates is going to vary based on the amount of work I have. If it was my choice I would just write this story all day, every day, but apparently I can't get writing this fanfic to count towards my degree, so I'll have to pay attention to my homework sometimes. In the meantime, please enjoy this chapter and I promise to have another update posted as soon as possible!**

**Thank you all for reading, faving, and following. If you have the time, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review—I love hearing what you think of my story!**

* * *

"Hey, watch it! That's not for eating."

Elsa smiled as she heard Sera's voice through the open doors of the stables. She entered the building to find the woman leaning against the door of a stall, rubbing the nose of a dapple gray horse.

"What did I just tell you?" Sera asked, laughing as the horse nipped at her sleeve. She rolled her sleeves up to her elbows, trying to get them out of the horse's reach. "I promise that no matter how many times you try to eat my shirt, it won't be an apple."

Elsa giggled as the horse whinnied and again nibbled at Sera's sleeve. "I see you've met Seagull."

Sera turned at the sound of Elsa's voice. "Seagull?"

The queen nodded and walked over to the horse's stall, smiling as she patted his neck.

"How did he earn that name?" Sera asked, pushing Seagull's muzzle away as he continued to lip at her clothing.

"Well, one day, when he was just a foal, he managed to get out of his mother's stall and run to the harbor. I was watching from a window when he escaped and I saw him gallop across the docks and scare a flock of seagulls. The birds took off over the water and he chased after them, jumping off the dock and into the harbor. It took the guards almost twenty minutes to get him out of the water because he wouldn't stop trying to follow the seagulls." Elsa smiled fondly at her horse as he snorted and shook his mane. "When he ran after the seagulls, I thought it looked like he wanted to fly away with them. So, I named him Seagull."

Sera grinned at Elsa. "That's pretty adorable."

Elsa blushed and concentrated on stroking Seagull's forelock. "I was only eleven when I named him, so don't judge me too harshly."

"I wasn't judging, I promise. That was a really cute story and I think Seagull is an excellent name for a horse." Sera looked away from Elsa and sniggered.

"Hey!" Elsa said. "I was just a kid!"

"Okay, okay, sorry. But, honestly, I do think it's a good name. It fits him." Sera gave Seagull's nose one last pat before glancing back to the queen. "I talked to one of the stable hands and he said it would be all right if I used one of the messenger horses, Dagr. He saddled Seagull and I got Dagr ready, so we can set out whenever."

"All right. Let's go," Elsa said as she grabbed Seagull's reins to lead him from the stables, Sera and Dagr following close behind.

When they had cleared the building, Elsa turned back to see Sera already swinging herself into the saddle. The woman spurred Dagr into a trot, leading him through a series of tight circles around the courtyard before pulling him to a stop a few feet in front of the queen.

"You're a beautiful horse, Dagr," Sera said, rubbing his neck vigorously. The dun horse snorted and stamped one of his forelegs. Laughing, Sera looked up at Elsa. "Ready?"

Elsa nodded and pulled herself up into Seagull's saddle. "Where are we going?"

Sera grinned, clicking her tongue to start Dagr walking toward the castle gates. "You'll see," she called over her shoulder. "Now come on, follow me."

Elsa urged her horse forward, following Sera across the bridge and into the bustling market square. They kept their horses at a slow walk, weaving carefully around the merchant stalls and shoppers filling the plaza.

"Sera!" a deep voice boomed from the crowd. A few seconds later, Dolst, the owner of the town's inn, emerged from behind a flower stand to walk beside Dagr.

Sera leaned down to clasp forearms with the burly innkeeper. "It's good to see you, Dolst," she said, straightening up and giving the man a wide grin. "How are you?"

"I'm doing quite well, Sera. And I can see you are, too! You've made some friends in high places, I see." Dolst turned to the queen, tipping his cap with a slight bow. "Your majesty."

Elsa acknowledged him with a nod and a small smile.

"Queen Elsa has been kind enough to take me in for a few days in exchange for some…gardening work," Sera said, winking at the queen before looking back at the innkeeper.

Dolst roared with laughter. "Your trade and barter skills are something else, Sera! Bargaining some digging in the dirt for room and board at the castle, ha! Listen, I've got some errands I need to run but if you ever find yourself in need of a few extra coins, I'll glad take any game you manage to catch off your hands. That venison you brought last week was excellent."

Sera dipped her head toward the innkeeper. "I'll keep that in mind, thank you."

"Well, I should probably get going. I hope to see you again soon, Sera!"

"You as well, Dolst," Sera said as the man waved and headed back into the crowd.

Several other townspeople called out greetings to Sera as she and Elsa made their way through the town. The woman returned their hails warmly, readily exchanging pleasantries and amiable jokes with each one of them. Once they passed the last house in the village, Sera pushed Dagr into a trot, steering him toward the forest.

"When did you have time to get to know so many of the townspeople?" Elsa asked, increasing Seagull's speed until he pulled up even with Dagr.

Sera gave the queen a sheepish smile. "The first day after I left, I spent the morning in town doing odd jobs for people. In return for my work they gave me some basic hunting and survival supplies so I headed into the forest later that day. I came back to town a few days after that to sell the pelts and meat I gathered. So, I guess while I was working and trading I just…talked to people?"

"That's pretty impressive," Elsa said. "I doubt I would ever be able to manage something like that."

Sera shrugged as she pulled Dagr to a stop at the edge of the forest. "I learned a few tricks about survival while growing up. And getting along with other people isn't nearly as hard as you make it out to be, Elsa. All you really have to do is smile and listen."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I don't think it's nearly as _easy_ as you make it out to be."

"All right, fair enough." Sera laughed, shaking her head at the queen's miffed expression before bringing her gaze back to the trees in front of them. "You ready to get going?"

Elsa nodded and Sera flicked Dagr's reins, sending the horse cantering through the trees, Seagull following close behind.

They rode in silence for almost half an hour as Sera took them on a twisting path deep into the woods. Elsa, riding slightly behind the other woman, found she was having difficulty keeping her eyes on the terrain. She caught herself staring several times and forced herself to focus on her surroundings, but her eyes always slid back to Sera a few seconds later. The woman possessed an easy grace on horseback that the queen found captivating. Her body flowed smoothly along with Dagr's movements, swaying with the horse's gait and leaning gently into every turn. And it certainly didn't help that the impressive muscles in her forearms stood out every time she adjusted her horse's reins.

"Ah!" Elsa gasped, breaking out of her reverie as a thin branch whipped across her face.

Sera twisted around to look at her, slowing Dagr to a walk. "You doing okay back there?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I just wasn't paying attention," Elsa mumbled, small patches of red blooming on her cheeks.

"Well, lucky for you, you don't have to pay attention to riding anymore. We're here."

Elsa glanced around but was unable to spot anything that distinguished these trees from the hundreds they had already passed. She gave Sera a confused look as the woman swung herself down from Dagr's back.

"It's just over that hill," Sera said, jerking her head at the incline that began a few feet in front of them. She looped Dagr's reins loosely around a nearby branch. "I'd just rather leave the horses here so we don't frighten them."

"All right," the queen said hesitantly, dismounting and draping Seagull's reins over another branch. She followed Sera up the hillside, smiling as the woman turned back several times to hold branches out of her way.

"Oh, wow," Elsa breathed as she crested the hill. In front of her was a small clearing, maybe thirty feet across at most. The underbrush of the forest thinned at the top of the slope, turning to tall grass and then to a pebbly beach that stretched across about a third of the glade in a half-circle. A thin waterfall spilled down the limestone cliffs bordering the clearing on two sides, feeding a small pool that sat in a shallow, stone basin.

"It's beautiful, isn't it," Sera remarked, watching Elsa's reaction carefully. "I stumbled into this clearing last week while tracking several deer. I thought it would be a good place to…let things go, so I made sure to remember where it was before moving on."

"'Let things go'?"

"Yeah." Sera walked further into the clearing, coming to a stop at the edge of the pool. She nudged a pebble with her toe, flipping it into the water before continuing. "I was always taught that, in order to keep control of my powers, I needed to let my emotions out. That if I tried to suppress my feelings or keep them bottled up inside for too long I risked losing command over my powers to those emotions. That's why I was so confused when you said that you needed to conceal your feelings in order to stay in control." She turned to look back at the queen, her expression distant. "Anyway, I'm really glad I found this place. It's perfect for what I need to do."

"What makes it so perfect?" Elsa asked, taking a few more steps into the glade.

"Well, it's secluded, for one thing. So, if I do lose control for some reason, I won't be able to hurt anyone. And this place was a really serene feel to it that helps me calm down." Sera shook her head, her eyes snapping back into focus as she smiled. "It also has this pond. I haven't lost control over my powers in a really long time but I still like to practice near water, just in case." She wrinkled her nose. "Because setting your hair on fire isn't exactly what I'd call a 'fun' experience."

Elsa laughed. "Is that why your hair is so short?"

Sera nodded, grinning at the queen. "Originally, yeah. But I decided I liked it, so I kept it this way even after I stopped burning it off."

"Okay, so you've told me why _you_ like it here," Elsa said pointedly. "But why did you bring _me_ here?"

"I was…I was hoping this place could serve a similar purpose for you," Sera said, moving to stand in front of Elsa. "I was thinking that maybe this could be a place where you can let your feelings go, too."

"I-I don't know, Sera." The queen looked down at her hands, gnawing on her lower lip.

"You don't have to," Sera said quickly. "If you never want to come back here and don't want me to mention letting go of your emotions ever again, that's fine. I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do."

Elsa raised her head to meet Sera's eyes, feeling something quiver in her stomach when she caught sight of the woman's kind, hopeful expression. She tore her eyes away, biting down hard on her lip as her breathing quickened.

Sera started to reach toward the queen, but stopped and took a step back. "Elsa, before you make a decision…I want to show you what I mean when I talk about letting go of your emotions. Is that all right?"

Elsa squeezed her eyes shut, exhaled slowly, and nodded. She opened her eyes in time to see Sera give her a small smile and take several steps backwards.

"Okay. Just…just don't move, okay?" Sera received another nod from the queen and closed her eyes, exhaling slowly.

"So, to start, you stand still for a minute and let your mind go blank. Breathe deeply, focusing on keeping your thoughts clear." It was silent for a moment as Sera's breathing became deep and even. "Okay. Now, you just think about how you feel. I'm not sure if this is how it works for other people, but for me, whatever I'm feeling always starts in my chest and the spreads out to the rest of my body. After that happens I sort of let myself become…filled with that feeling. I concentrate on it and let it build up until every part of my body and mind is almost overwhelmed with it and I just…let it go."

Sera sighed and short bursts of flame raced up from her finger tips, leaping from her forearms in every direction and exploding into small flurries of sparks. After a few seconds, the fire stopped and Sera opened her eyes.

"So, that was me feeling…nervous," Sera said, smiling shyly at the queen. "Nervous, but also excited." Her eyes brightened and she raised her hands to waist level, her palms facing upwards. "But there's more than that. I'm also feeling…content." The air surrounding her began shimmer and waves of heat pulsed from her body, sending soft ripples through the grass and water of the clearing.

"And there's also…happiness." Sera looked down at her left palm as a fist-sized flame sprang to life in each of her hands. Her eyes followed the fire as it snaked around her wrist, dancing and twirling up her arm to meet the tendrils of flame from her right hand in the center of her chest. The lengths of flame coiled and swirled around each other, faster and faster, their movements blurring to create a small sphere hovering several inches in front of Sera's collarbone. The woman threw back her head and the fiery orb erupted skywards, fanning out in brilliant streamers of color that ranged from deep violet to rusty orange to intense yellow-green so light it was almost white.

It was silent for several seconds as Sera's fiery display slowly faded into nothingness. The woman opened her eyes with a small smile on her face, flushing when she caught sight of Elsa's awed expression.

"That was incredible," Elsa said, shaking her head in amazement. "You…you must be really happy."

Sera ducked her head, looking down as she kicked at the pebbles beneath her feet. "Yeah," she said softly, raising her eyes to Elsa's face. "I have a lot of wonderful things—and people—in my life right now." She cautiously walked over to stand in front of the queen. "So…do you want to try?"

Elsa started to shrink away from the other woman but caught herself before Sera could notice. "I don't know…"

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Elsa. I promise. But you don't have to if you don't want to."

Panic wormed its way through Elsa's body, paralyzing her muscles and her mind. Her eyes unfocused as her breathing became heavy and her entire body began to shake.

Sera held out her hand with a gentle smile. "It's okay, Elsa. I'll be right here, no matter what you decide."

Elsa stared at the outstretched hand for a few seconds before slowly raising her own, placing her trembling fingers lightly against Sera's palm.

"I…I want to try," Elsa murmured, her shaking slowly disappearing as Sera wove their fingers together.

Sera's brow furrowed slightly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Elsa said, quietly but firmly.

"Okay. Close your eyes whenever you're ready to start."

The queen reached for Sera's other hand before complying.

"Now, try to clear your thoughts," Sera instructed. Elsa could hear the smile in the woman's voice. "And just…let whatever your feeling rise up into your mind."

Elsa stiffened.

"It's okay. You don't have to go very deep, just find what's on the surface."

Elsa bit her lip, but nodded and took a deep breath. "I feel…"

"You don't have to tell me, Elsa."

The queen smiled and blushed slightly.

"Okay, so now, whatever you're feeling, just let it float through your body. Let it fill you and then…let it go."

Elsa stood perfectly still for a moment, her entire body tense as a slight pressure built up behind her collarbone and spread throughout her body, pushing down the anxiety that was still lurking in her chest. She let out a long, slow breath and the pressure suddenly released, sending gusts of frigid air sweeping through the clearing. After the winds had died down, the queen opened her eyes and gasped.

Particles of snow clung to Sera's hair and eyelashes, some of which shook loose as the woman blinked several times in surprise. Her entire upper body was covered in a thin layer of frost. Small, icy ridges wove and spiraled across her skin and clothing in overlapping fractals to create countless, multi-colored snowflakes of all shapes and sizes.

"Oh, Sera, I'm sorry!" Elsa cried, trying desperately to rub the frost from Sera's fingers.

Sera laughed, her breath forming a cloud in the cold air between them, and wrapped her fingers around Elsa's hands to stop her from removing the ice. "It's all right, it doesn't hurt. It just tickles a bit." She grinned, sending tiny cracks through the frosty designs covering her face. "And if it looks anything like what's on your face, then it must be beautiful."

The queen looked down and was startled to find her own arms covered in similar icy patterns. She felt Sera's hand on her face and froze, her eyes darting up to meet the woman's gaze. Sera gently traced the icy outline of a snowflake on Elsa's cheek, her warm fingertips leaving a trail of melted frost on the queen's skin. Elsa shivered and unconsciously leaned into Sera's touch.

"Well," Sera began softly. "I'm going to guess that you felt—ah!"

Sera's hand jerked away from Elsa's face, grasping at the queen's shoulder as her feet slipped on the patch of ice that had suddenly appeared beneath them. Elsa quickly grabbed the woman's elbows, struggling to keep Sera upright as she attempted to regain her footing.

"Crap, hang on," Sera muttered. There was a hiss as the ice below her melted, creating a patch of grass for her to stand on. She planted her feet firmly on the ice-free ground and gingerly removed her hand from Elsa's shoulder. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

The queen shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I'm sorry for covering you in frost and making you slip."

"It's okay. The frost is actually really pretty and you managed to catch me before I fell. Just, in the future, I would appreciate a heads up if you think you're going to ice the ground over."

Elsa laughed softy. "I'll do my best."

Sera smiled and brought her hand back up to the queen's cheek, wiping away the small beads of water her earlier touch had left. The woman moved her fingers over the icy lines of another fractal and the queen's breath caught, her eyes fixing on Sera's face.

"Before I slipped," Sera said, watching her fingers as they continued to stroke Elsa's cheek. "I was going to guess that you were feeling happy. Based on all these beautiful designs, I mean."

Elsa nodded, a small smile playing across her lips. "Yes, I did, and I do. Happier than I've felt in a long time."

"I'm glad," Sera whispered, her hand sliding down to rest gently on the queen's neck.

Elsa let her eyes wander over Sera's face, marveling at how the sunlight shone on the fractals decorating the woman's skin. She felt Sera's warm breath dance across her cheeks and inhaled sharply, suddenly realizing how close their faces were. Her gaze flicked down to Sera's mouth, watching as the woman's breathing slowly thawed the ice lacing her slightly parted lips into small, shimmering droplets of water. It struck her that if she tilted her head and leaned forward, she could…

The queen quickly pushed the idea away, but her breathing quickened and she felt her skin grow warm beneath Sera's touch.

Sera seemed to notice, her hand twitching against the queen's neck. "Elsa," she said rather breathlessly. Elsa's eyes immediately darted up to lock with Sera's. "Is it all right if I…"

"Yes." Elsa leaned forward to lightly place her lips against Sera's. She pulled back after only a second, smiling shyly up at Sera. When the woman didn't react, the queen's stomach dropped and a blush seared across her cheeks.

"Oh god, that's not what you were going to ask, was it? Shit, I am _so_ sorry, Sera, I shouldn't have assumed. I—"

Sera gently placed her fingers against Elsa's lower lip. "No, it's okay. That was…that was exactly what I was going to ask."

"Oh." Elsa felt her blush spread to her ears and melt the frost dusting their tips. "Well, um, in that case, it is all right if I…"

Sera took half a step forward so her entire body was pressed against Elsa's, moving her hands to cup the queen's face and pull it toward her own. Their lips met and Elsa's eyelids fluttered shut, her hands rising to grip Sera's shoulders. The icy patterns on their skin melted where their faces touched, replaced almost immediately by new, more intricate designs and tiny spirals of frost danced across their lips, thawing and reforming as they moved against each other.

After a few seconds, the queen broke away from the kiss and leaned her forehead against Sera's, their rapid breathing filling the space between them with clouds of condensation.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Elsa gasped. "The frost…I don't know how to…"

Sera tilted her head to brush her lips lightly against the queen's, causing another sheen of frost to appear on their lips. "Does it really seem like I mind, Elsa?"

"No. Not really," Elsa said, giggling as she pressed her lips to Sera's once again.


	15. Chapter 15 - The Danger of Distance

**Hello readers!**

**Sorry it took me so long to get this update out—life got a little hectic and stressful for a while. But here's a new chapter and I'll do my best to keep it to no more than two weeks between updates in the future.**

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* * *

Sera reined Dagr to a halt at the edge of the forest and glanced over at Elsa. "So, um…_this_," she said, gesturing between the two of them as the queen pulled Seagull to a stop next to her. "This is going to have to be a secret right? I mean, not because I want it to be but, because…well, you know."

Elsa nodded slowly. "Unfortunately, yes. I'm not sure how my subjects would react to the news that I'm interested in another woman. And I doubt my advisors will be thrilled about that either." She bit down gently on her lower lip, a small line of worry appearing between her brows. "Or about the fact that you're a commoner."

The day's fading light made it hard to tell, but Elsa was sure she saw Sera's face tighten almost imperceptibly. She reached out to touch the woman's shoulder but hesitated, drawing her hand back to clutch it against her chest. "Sera…those things don't matter to me, I just….I need some time to figure out how to explain this to everyone."

Sera gave the queen a smile that didn't seem to reach her eyes. "I know. I understand why this is complicated." She turned away abruptly and urged Dagr forward. "But we should probably get back soon or Anna's going to send out a search party after us," she called without looking back.

Elsa reluctantly pushed Seagull into a trot, her lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes never leaving Sera's back as they made their way through the town and the now empty market square. When their horses stepped onto the bridge leading to the main gates of the castle, Elsa spurred her horse forward so she was even with Sera.

"Did I do something wrong?" the queen asked quietly, her voice barely audible over the clatter of the horses' hooves.

Sera shook her head stiffly. "No."

"If you're mad at me, please tell me."

"Elsa, I'm not mad at you," Sera said as they entered the castle courtyard, still not meeting the queen's eyes. She pulled Dagr to a stop and looked down at the reins in her hands, her jaw clenching slightly. "I promise."

Sera quickly dismounted and began to lead Dagr toward the stables with the queen following suit. Elsa took several hurried steps so she could walk next to the woman, wringing the leather reins rather helplessly in her hands. "It's just…when I mentioned keeping…_this_ a secret, it seemed like you got annoyed."

Sera sighed and lifted a hand to run through Dagr's mane. "That wasn't because of anything you did, Elsa. It was because of…something else. Something else that I'd rather not talk about. I understand the need for secrecy and I'll do my best to help you in any way I can. I'm not upset with you for that, I promise." She stopped outside the doors of the stables and finally glanced toward the queen, regarding her thoughtfully for a few seconds before a grin slowly stretched across her face. Taking half a step toward Elsa, she brought her mouth close to the queen's ear and whispered, "Besides, how could I be upset with you when you're such a great kisser?"

Heat rushed to Elsa's cheeks and she could only gape at Sera as the woman snickered and swung open the door of the stables. She heard an excited squeal and caught a flash of red hair before she was engulfed in a crushing hug that sent her staggering back against Seagull's flank.

"Elsa! You're back!" Anna yelled joyfully, squeezing her bewildered sister even tighter.

The queen tore her gaze from Sera's smirk and limply returned her sister's embrace. "Anna, w-what are you doing in the stables?

"I was helping Kristoff take care of Sven." Anna pulled back from the hug, her grin disappearing as she caught sight of Elsa's red face. "Oh no! Did you get sunburnt while you and Sera were gone?"

Sera let out a laugh that she quickly tried to hide with a sputtering cough, earning a half-hearted glare from the queen and a confused look from the princess. "I'll take care of Seagull so you two can talk," she offered, reaching over to ease the reins from Elsa's hand.

"Are you sure?" Anna asked. "I wouldn't want to leave you with all the work."

"No, it's fine. I'll have Kristoff help me," Sera said, glancing toward Kristoff, who was brushing Sven in a nearby stall. "That is, assuming the mountain man knows how to handle more than just reindeer."

"Of course I do!" Kristoff cried, giving the woman an indignant look from over the Sven's back. "Horses aren't that much different from reindeers. Err…they're not, right?"

Sera snorted as she led the horses further into the building. "Well, the biggest difference between horses and reindeer is that horses don't talk in silly voices."

"Hey! Sven's voice isn't silly!"

"Whatever you say, Kristoff." Sera grinned as she raised a hand to block the piece of straw Kristoff hurled at her.

"Sven's voice isn't silly," Kristoff said firmly as he stepped from Sven's stall to take Dagr's reins from Sera. "And Anna agrees with me. Right, Anna?" It was silent for a few seconds and Kristoff glanced toward the princess with a pleading look. "Anna?"

"Um, no comment," Anna mumbled, grabbing Elsa's wrist and pulling her out of the stables as Sera's laughter echoed through the courtyard.

"Do you really think Sven's voice is silly?" Elsa asked as her sister led her toward the main doors of the castle.

Anna shook her head, grinning as she entered the castle. "No, I think it's cute. I just love watching Sera tease Kristoff. He makes fun of me all the time so it's nice to see someone tease him for a change." She spun around to face her sister. "But what were you doing with Sera?"

The queen glanced furtively around the hallway, a blush rising to her cheeks. "Sera and I…we were, uh…" The queen trailed off, struggling to find words as memories of their kiss flooded her brain. A smile spread across her face and her hand slowly rose to stroke her lower lip as she remembered the sensations of thawing ice and warm lips pressed against her own…

"Um, Elsa? Hello, Elsa!"

Elsa started, jerking her hand away from her face. "S-Sera and I, we, um—"

"You kissed, didn't you?"

The queen gave her sister a shocked look.

"I _told _you she had a crush on you." Anna giggled as Elsa flushed and bit her lip. Wait…you two were gone for a long time…did you do more than just kiss?"

"What? Anna, oh god, no! We weren't…we didn't—I just kissed her for the first time, I wouldn't do something like that so soon, I would at least—" Elsa clamped her mouth shut and closed her eyes, her cheeks growing even warmer as her sister continued to snigger. "All we did was kiss, Anna."

"I wouldn't judge you either way, Elsa. But I'm glad you two finally kissed. I can't wait to see Kristoff's face when I tell him, he thought it would was going to be at least another week before it happened. I totally won our bet!"

"What? You and Kristoff took bets on how long it would take for Sera and I to—" Elsa broke off as a guard stepped into the hallway. She nodded in acknowledgement as the guard bowed and slipped through the door to the courtyard.

The queen sighed. "Anna, I don't mind if you tell Kristoff about this, but please be careful that no one overhears you. I'm not exactly sure if people would react well to this."

"But, Elsa, they'd probably be happy that you've found someone even if it's…" the princess trailed off as she caught sight of her sister's pained expression.

"I know you don't care that I'm…involved with another woman, but..." Elsa grimaced and looked down at her hands, biting her lip as she wove her fingers together. "I don't know if everyone else will be so understanding. I'm not going to keep it a secret forever but I need some time to figure out how to tell people first."

Anna nodded and gently put her hand on Elsa's arm. "Okay. I won't tell anyone else, I promise." Her face brightened as she began to bounce excitedly around her sister. "But I'm so happy for you! I need to go tell Kristoff right now!"

The princess moved toward the doors and reached for the handle, letting out a small shriek of surprise as the door swung open and out of her grasp. She staggered forward a few steps before a pair of arms darted out to catch her.

"Well, hello there, Anna," Sera said as she pulled the princess to her feet.

"Sera!" Anna jumped out of the woman's grip and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Elsa told me about what happened and I'm just so excited for both of you!"

Sera shot Elsa a grin over the princess's shoulder. "Um, thanks. I'm pretty happy about it myself." She winked at Elsa, causing the queen to blush. "Could we talk about this more over dinner though? I'm really hungry."

Anna let out a snorting laugh as she stepped away of the hug. "Yeah, I bet you would be after your…_activities_."

Sera rolled her eyes and Elsa's blush deepened.

Kristoff looked between the three women with a puzzled expression. "Activities?"

Anna walked to his side and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Yes, _activities._ The type of activities that means I win our bet."

"Oh. OH." Kristoff grinned. "Somehow I'm not at all upset about losing this bet."

Sera whacked Kristoff's arm as Anna dissolved in a fit of giggles. "Okay, you've had your fun but, seriously, can we please get some food now?"

"I think Gerda has something ready for us. But Elsa and I need to talk first." Anna advanced toward her sister with a sly gleam in her eye. "Because she needs to tell me _everything_."

"I-I, Anna, what?" Elsa stammered, looking desperately at Sera. The woman could only shrug and mouth "I'm sorry" as a smirking Kristoff pulled her toward the dining room.

"Details," Anna demanded, placing her hands firmly on Elsa's shoulders. "I need details. Tell me everything."

"A-Anna, no, I can't—"

"Oh, _come on_, Elsa. We missed out on talking about stuff like this for years, I'm not letting you get away with not telling me now." Anna's grip softened slightly when she felt Elsa's shoulders tense. "If you really don't want to, that's fine, I just—"

Elsa reached up to grab Anna's hands as they slipped from her arms. "No, Anna, I…I _do_ want to talk to you about this. This is really exciting and…I want to share it with my little sister." She smiled at Anna and received a shy grin in return. "It's just that…this is all so new to me and I don't really know how to even begin talking about it."

Anna's face lit up instantly. "Well, for starters, we should go somewhere more private. We're going to my room, come on."

Elsa almost yelped in surprise as her sister took off down the hallway, tugging her up the stairs and into her bedroom. Once inside, Anna locked the door and skipped over to her bed. She flopped onto the blankets and grinned at Elsa, patting the spot on the bed beside her.

The queen gave her sister a small, nervous smile as she walked over to sit next to her sister. Anna situated herself so she was facing Elsa, crossed her legs, and leaned forward eagerly. "Now, no more excuses, tell me everything!"

"I-I don't really know where to start I…"

"Well, how was it?"

"How was what?"

"The kiss, silly! How was it? Is Sera a good kisser?"

Elsa gaped at her sister for a few seconds before looking away, a blush forming on her cheeks. "It was…nice. Really, _really_ nice."

"'Nice'?" Anna snorted. "I know you can do better than that, Elsa!"

"Okay, sorry, it was, uh..." Elsa bit her lip, closing her eyes as she remembered the feeling of a warm body pressed against her own, of cool wisps of frost spiraling across soft lips…

"Elsa! Hey, Elsa!" Anna snapped her fingers in front of her sister's face, causing the queen to start and open her eyes. "I can't see what's happening in your head, you have to describe it to me!"

"Sorry! I was just remembering how…soft her lips were. Soft and…icy."

"What? 'Icy'? Elsa, why were her lips icy?"

"Because, um, right before she kissed me I was feeling really happy, so my powers covered us in frost with snowflake designs. Some of the ice was on her lips and her breath started melting some of it into little droplets of water on her lower lip and I just wanted to kiss her _so_ badly_._ She asked if she could kiss me and it was just…" Elsa sighed happily, looking bashfully down at her hands as a pleasant shiver traveled through her body. She frowned when she heard Anna choke back a laugh. "What? You asked for the details, so I gave them to you!"

"I know, I know, and thank you for telling me. But, um, did those snowflake designs you were talking about look anything like this?"

Elsa glanced over at her sister to see her pointing at a complicated spiral of fractals that was forming on the bedspread. "Oh, shit! Anna, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that." She waved her hand and the frosted patterns vanished, her face reddening as Anna sniggered.

"You just totally lose it around her, don't you?" Anna said, grinning. "If just _thinking _about kissing her makes you do that, just imagine what's going to happen when you two—" She broke off and wiggled her eyebrows meaningfully.

"Anna!" Elsa cried. She glared at Anna as the princess tried unsuccessful to stifle her laughter.

"I'm sorry, Elsa, I just can't help it. I have to tease you about this, I've got thirteen years of not being an annoying younger sibling to make up for." Anna reached over to grasp her sister's hand, giving her a warm smile. "And I think it's adorable that Sera has this much of an effect on you."

The queen's face tightened, her smile vanishing as she quickly looked away from her sister. "It's adorable now, but I'm afraid that it might—that I might…hurt her. I can't seem to control my powers around her and…" She looked up at her sister, her entire body tensing as fear clenched in her chest. "I don't want to hurt her, Anna."

"Elsa…" Anna scooted closer to her sister, gently wrapping an arm around Elsa's shoulders. "You won't. I know you won't hurt Sera."

"But I might lose control. If just _thinking_ about her does this to me, it could be dangerous for us to be together. It might be safer for her to stay away from me." Elsa leaned forward out of her sister's embrace and let her head fall into her hands. "It _is _safer for her to stay away from me. I shouldn't have kissed her, Anna, and I shouldn't have let her get that close." She blinked fiercely as tears welled in her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's not safe. It's not safe for anyone to be close to me, to love me."

"You won't lose control, Elsa. I know you won't," Anna said firmly. "Covering Sera or blankets in little patterns isn't dangerous. That's why you let yourself do it. If it was something that would've hurt someone, I know you wouldn't have let it happen at all." She put a hand on Elsa's back and moved it in small, soothing circles. "You're not dangerous, Elsa, not to Sera or to anyone else. And besides, Sera has her fire powers so if anything did happen, she could probably just block it or something. Not that anything will happen," she said quickly, her eyes darting nervously to Elsa's face. "I just mean that, in case something did happen, not that anything would happen, but if it did, Sera could probably stop it. Sorry, that was supposed to be comforting but I think I messed it up." She began to pull away slightly but stopped when Elsa shook her head.

It took another few seconds for the queen to compose herself. She let out a long breath before sitting up and looking at her sister. "It did help, Anna. Thank you." She smiled softly when the princess gave her a hopeful look. "I mean it. I'm still not certain I won't lose control, but what you said was reassuring. So, thank you." The queen reached up and gently stroked Anna's face, her smile widening at the happiness the affection brought to her sister's eyes. "But we should probably get to dinner soon. Kristoff and Sera seem to eat a lot and I'm afraid there won't be anything left if we wait much longer."

Anna's eyes widened and she leapt up from the bed. "Oh, crap, you're right!" she said, running toward the door and throwing it open. "Kristoff! Sera!" she yelled as she sprinted to the steps. "You better not eat everything before I even—whoa!"

Elsa winced as a crash echoed through the hallway and hurried out of the room toward the sound. She found Anna on the first floor, lying on her back in front of a window, tangled in a curtain she had managed to rip from the wall.

"Anna, what happened?" Elsa asked, swiftly moving to extract her sister from the heap of fabric.

"I was sliding down the banister but I guess I was going a little too fast because I was kind of launched off the end of the railing. I grabbed this curtain thinking it might help me slow down. Which it did, I guess," she said, giving Elsa a dazed look as the queen continued to work her free of the curtains.

"Are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"Nope, I'm one-hundred percent okay," Anna said as she staggered to her feet. "I'm just peachy. I'm the picture of sophisticated grace."

Elsa blinked. "What?"

"Never mind," Anna muttered. "Let's just go get some food."

The queen shook her head, chuckling as she quickened her steps to catch up with her sister.

* * *

Elsa laid down her quill and stretched, yawning hugely as she surveyed her surprisingly empty desk. She had been here so several hours now, hiding from Anna and her prying questions on the pretense of having too much work to do. It had taken almost half an hour before Elsa could actually concentrate on what she was doing, however; she couldn't stop thinking about the embarrassment her sister had put her through during dinner. Anna had made suggestive jokes the entire time while Elsa looked helplessly at Sera, only to blush furiously when the woman winked at her, causing the princess to dissolve into helpless laughter. This cycle had occurred about half a dozen times before Elsa excused herself, saying she had paperwork to attend to.

The queen frowned down at her desk. She had actually managed to finish all of her work for the day but she still didn't relish the thought of being confronted by her curious, teasing sister. Chewing on her lip for a moment, Elsa decided that she could go to the library and use the excuse of reading to fend off her sister for a few more hours. And…a small smile spread across her lips as she thought about who else might be reading in the library tonight.

Standing quickly, Elsa hurried down the hallway and toward the library, her smile widening when she opened the door to find Sera curled up on one of the couches. The woman was chewing on her sleeve again, so engrossed in her book that she didn't even look up when the queen entered the room.

"I was hoping I would find you here," Elsa said, closing the door quietly behind her.

Sera glanced up and grinned. "Were you now?"

The queen felt herself blushing under the woman's gaze. "Uh, yes, I was, I mean, as long as that's okay. I know we're...that we kissed earlier but it doesn't mean that we have to spend all of our time together or anything. I was just hoping to see you again tonight."

Sera chuckled and set her book on the table next to the couch, tugging her sleeve back into place. "Well, that works out pretty nicely then, because I was hoping to see you tonight, too."

"Oh, okay." Elsa remained standing by the door, staring at Sera for several seconds while she struggled to find the words for what she wanted to say. The woman's soft laughter brought her attention back to what she was doing. "Oh, wow, sorry, now I'm being awkward. I'm sorry, I just—" Elsa gestured vaguely with her hands and sighed. "I just don't know how any of…_this_ is supposed to work."

"This?"

"I mean…us. Being together. Err, actually, we are together, aren't we? As in dating or courting or something? Because I just assumed that we were because we kissed earlier but maybe that's not what you want so I probably shouldn't have assumed." Elsa brought her hands to her chest, closing one into a fist and clenching it in the other. "Sorry. I'm just…confused. I've never been with anyone before so I don't really know what I'm doing or what you expect of me."

"Well." Sera got to her feet and walked over to stand in front of the queen. She took Elsa's hands, gently pulling them apart and lowering them to waist level. "I've never been with anyone and up until a few days ago, I hadn't even read a romance novel or a fairy tale, so I don't know what I'm doing either. But I like the idea of us being together." She smiled, leaning forward to plant a kiss on Elsa's forehead. "So, yes, I'd say we're courting."

Elsa smiled as Sera's lips tickled her forehead.

"And I don't expect anything of you," Sera said, moving her face away from Elsa's and raising a hand to stroke the queen's cheek. "I don't want to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable and I just want you to be yourself. Your wonderful, beautiful self."

Sera slipped her hand onto the queen's neck, lowering her head to place several light kisses along Elsa's cheek. After the third kiss, Elsa turned her head and captured Sera's lips with her own, disentangling her hand to wrap it around the woman's waist. She could feel Sera smile into the kiss as frost bloomed across their faces, spiraling outwards from where their lips met.

After a few seconds the queen pulled away but kept her face close to the other woman's, enjoying the feeling of Sera's breath melting the icy patterns on her skin. She raised a hand to trace a fractal on the woman's jaw. "You don't mind that this happens when we kiss, do you?"

Sera shook her head. "Not at all. I…I actually really like it." She smiled sheepishly when Elsa gave her a quizzical look. "These designs are beautiful, which makes me think that being around me makes you really happy. And it's just…nice to have a physical representation of how I make you feel."

Elsa lowered her head onto Sera's shoulder as a blush spread across her cheeks. Sera chuckled softly, moving her arms to embrace the queen more securely and leaning her head against Elsa's. The queen smiled and turned her face so her forehead was resting against the woman's neck, inhaling deeply.

Sera lifted her head when the queen giggled. "What?"

A small smile tugged at her lips as Elsa raised her head to look at the other woman. "I just noticed that you…well, you smell…nice. Like warmth. You smell like warmth." Elsa flushed as Sera continued to stare at her, resisting the urge to drop her head back onto the woman's shoulder.

"You're adorable," Sera whispered, grinning at the flustered queen and tilting her head to plant a soft kiss on Elsa's cheek. "I would love to stay here and keep making you blush, but I promised Kristoff I'd go on another trip with him tomorrow. We're leaving before dawn and we're bringing Dolst's son, Christian, along with us so he can start learning about ice harvesting." She wrinkled her nose. "That kid has _a lot_ of energy. I have no idea how we're going to get him to focus on anything for more than five seconds. So, I should probably get some sleep."

Elsa nodded and slowly stepped away from Sera, her body tingling slightly at the loss of warmth.

Sera caught hold of one of the queen's hands as they slid off her back. "Good night, my queen," she said, brushing her lips against the back of Elsa's hand.

"Good night, Sera." The queen's breath caught as Sera kissed her hand once again, her skin all but humming beneath the woman's touch.

Sera winked and gave Elsa one last grin before slipping out of the room.

The door clicked shut and Elsa staggered over to the couch, smiling giddily as she fell onto the cushions. Laughingly softly, she let her head fall back against the couch.

"She smells like warmth," the queen whispered. Her eyes closed as intricate, icy patterns began to loop across the ceiling above her head. "Just like warmth."

* * *

"You seem happy today," Anna said, studying her sister's smiling face from across the table.

Elsa lowered her fork and blushed slightly. "I am happy."

The princess grinned. "I get it. After the first time I kissed Kristoff, I felt like I was floating for the next two days."

"Wait, why is Elsa floating?" Olaf asked, standing up in his chair so he could look curiously at Anna.

"Because she and Sera kissed yesterday." Anna barely got the words about before squealing gleefully.

The snowman gasped, grabbing his head and lifted it from his shoulders, causing his flurry to shoot up several feet in the air. "That's so wonderful! You _are_ falling in love with her, I was right!"

"Olaf, please, keep your voice down," Elsa said quickly, glancing around the room to make sure there weren't any servants within earshot. "I know you and Anna and Kristoff are happy for me, but I don't know how other people will react. So you have to keep this a secret, okay?"

"I don't know how you expect me to keep something this wonderful to myself, but I'll try," Olaf said, crossing his arms. "Wait! Is it okay if I tell Sven?"

Elsa and Anna laughed as the snowman bounced on his seat cushion.

"Yes, Olaf, you can tell Sven. As long as you're careful that no one overhears you," the queen cautioned.

Olaf danced and twirled in his chair for a few seconds before leaping to the floor. "I'm going to go tell him right now!" the snowman cried as he ran towards the door. I'm so—umf!" The door of the dining room opened abruptly, smacking into Oaf's head and sending it flying from his shoulders. It rolled across the carpet, the snowman's flurry desperately trying to remain above his head as it spat snow in every direction.

"Well, this just got a lot more difficult," Olaf's head said as it came to a stop near Anna's chair. He strained his eyes to the right, trying to turn his head so he could keep an eye on his body staggering around the room.

The princess laughed and scooped the Olaf's head from the floor, standing to replace it on his flailing body. Elsa watched with an amused grin as Anna reassembled the snowman before looking toward the door to see a worried-looking Kai fidgeting in the doorway.

"Your majesty, your highness," Kai said, concern ringing in his voice. "Kristoff is in the courtyard and requests your presence immediately."

Elsa stood, her brow creasing deeply as she moved toward the door, Anna and Olaf hurrying after her. "Why is Kristoff back already? Is Sera with him?" she asked as she followed the servant out of the room.

Kai shook his head. "I don't know, your majesty. I only know that he urgently wanted to speak to you." They arrived at the main doors of the castle and Kai held one of them open with a bow. "I do hope everything is all right."

Elsa nodded distractedly as she slipped past him, her eyes instantly picking out the frazzled ice harvester standing in the center of the courtyard. "Kristoff, what's going on? Where's Sera?"

Kristoff's jaw clenched. "I don't know."

The queen froze several steps away from the man, her heart thudding in her chest.

Anna darted around her sister to grip Kristoff's arm. "You don't know what's going on or you don't know where Sera is?"

"I don't know where Sera is." Kristoff sighed heavily and ground his teeth, bringing a hand up to rub his temple. "We brought the innkeeper's son, Christian, with us on our trip because he's been curious about ice harvesting for a while. Sera and I stayed at the main camp while a few of the other harvesters took him to another lake a bit higher in the mountains. On their way up, they somehow lost track of him. He's been missing since about mid-morning."

Elsa's eyes flicked toward the sun, noting that it was nearing the horizon. "So how does Sera fit into this?"

"One of the harvesters came back to the main camp to get the rest of us to join the search. It was really hectic and everyone was racing up the mountain as fast as they could, so I didn't even notice that Sera wasn't with us until we'd been searching for about half an hour. I think she split off to look for Christian by herself."

"But that's not that bad, Sera knows her way around the woods," Anna said, her eyes fixed on her boyfriend's tired face. "She probably just thought she would be able to search better on her own."

"I know." Kristoff's face twitched, its every muscle taut and strained with stress. "I know Sera can handle herself fairly well but there are several packs of wolves that hunt around that area. Sera's capable, but there's only so much one person can do against five or six hungry wolves."

"Okay." Anna's voice was trembling slightly. "But Sera will be fine. I mean, even _I_ managed to fight off a few wolves, so she should be fine, right?"

Kristoff's shoulders slumped. "I don't know. I…while I was searching, I found a clearing that was filled with tracks. Most of them were from wolves, but a few of them were boot prints. And I found a dead wolf nearby with Sera's knife stuck in his throat."

"So, Sera fought and beat the wolves. That means she's fine," Anna said quickly, watching as Kristoff's dejected expression tightened even further.

"I don't know, Anna," Kristoff admitted. "There was a lot of blood in that clearing. There's no way of knowing if it was from the wolves or…or from Sera. But…I-I don't think she would've left her knife behind if she was…" He trailed off and Elsa saw Anna's grip on his arm tighten.

"I have to go now." Kristoff gently worked Anna's fingers from his bicep. He kissed the backs of her hands before releasing them and swinging himself up on Sven's back. "I came back to enlist a few more of the townspeople in our search and I need to guide them to the camp. I wanted to tell you what was happening, even though…" He shook his head and looked sadly at Elsa. "I'm sorry."

The ice harvester nudged Sven's sides with his legs and the reindeer spun around, galloping through the main gates. Elsa watched until they had faded into the distance, starting when she felt something cold brush against her. She glanced down to see Olaf hugging her leg fiercely.

"Elsa…" Anna stepped toward her sister and slowly drew her into a hug. "Everything will be fine. Kristoff and the other ice harvesters will find Christian and Sera and they'll both be fine. I know they will." She tightened here embrace when the queen began to tremble slightly. "She'll be fine. She has to be."


End file.
